The Little Farmer Who Cried Love
by Saphire.rayne
Summary: Lovissa never knew she was in love with her best friend until she thought she'd lose him -story of my own character with Luke-
1. A Typical Day

"Lovissa! I need you to go out and feed the animals. It's your turn this week." My mother called up to me. I grumbled as I opened my eyes to look at the clock. Six A.M. I love our animals, but sometimes I wish they knew how to feed themselves. You could say I'm not a morning person. I much rather sleep in as long as I can, but half the day would be gone and I'd be bored during the night with no one to do stuff with. So basicly the latest I've slept into is about 8 in the morning.

I live with my family on Brownie Ranch. Renee is my little sister, she's younger than me by a year. Somedays she tends to act more like an older sister than I do. My mother and father, Hanna and Cain, own this ranch. My father is the expert on all things animals. We have about 4 cows, 5 hens, and 2 horses. One of which is mine. Well, it's not officially mine, but I always go out to feed it and I already gave him a name. He was born a few weeks and ago and isn't quite ready to leave his mother's side. I named him Blue, because when he's out in the sunlight, his dark coat looks almost blue.

I groggily get out of the comfort of my bed and grab one of my many t-shirts from my closet and put on some jean shorts. I walk downstairs to be greeted by the smell of my mothers famous pancakes and bacon. "Mmm, that smells fantastic! I am starving!" I exclaim. I take a seat next to my sister at the kitchen table and my mother hands me a plate with fresh pancakes. I grab the jar of peanut butter, my favorite for waffles and pancakes, and smother my food with it. "Put anymore peanut butter on those pancakes and you might turn into it." My father laughs. "I can't help it, dad. I love peanut butter." I say with a piece of pancake in my mouth.

Once breakfast is over, I grab my rubber boots and my jacket from the coat rack and head outside. The mornings are cold in the springtime, but later on they tend to warm up, almost too warm for any jackets or sweaters. I make my way over to the barn and the smell of hay reminds me why I love living on a ranch. "Good morning everyone!" I sing. The barn isn't very large but It's big enough to hold all our animals. First up is Molly. She's your average cow; fat, black and white, and healthy. "Good morning, Miss Molly."I pat her head and she gives a loud moo in response. I greet all our animals as I make my way to the fodder storage.

I fill each empty trough and whistle once they are all filled. Next up was the hens' house. I don't really care for chickens, but as long as they don't bother me, I don't bother them. All the hens are sleeping as I enter the small place they call home. I lay down some chicken feed and quietly make my way outside. It's probably about 11 when I finish all my chores. Time to go fishing!

I run inside our house and change into a loose t-shirt and some sneakers. I open our hall closet to grab my fishing pole, but it turns out to be missing. "Where did it go!" I grumble. "MOM!" I go into the kitchen to find my mother hard at work making a pie. "Yes, Lovissa?" She says, not even looking up at me. " Mom, I can't find my fishing pole. I swear I left it in the hall closet."

"When was the last time you had it?" She says.

"I had it a few days ago, when I went fishing with...OH!"A smile crosses my face as I realize where it could be."I know where it is. I'll be back later mom!" I quickly leave the house and head towards the Ganache Mine District.

The sun is almost at it's peak of the day and I shade my eyes as it bares down on me. I see Bo hard at work outside of the Carpenter's Shop. I jog up to him, despite the heat from the sun. "Hey Bo, what's up?" I smile at him as I say this. I'm not crazy about Bo. He's nice to me, so I just return the same. He doesn't talk much, but he's still a hard worker. "Oh, just getting some planks ready for when we need them." He says. I watch him smooth the planks of wood for a bit before speaking again. "Have you seen Luke? I need to get my fishing pole back." I say.

"Last time I saw him he was walking towards Praline Woods."

"Thanks!" I quickly walk over towards the woods. Luckily enough, I hear the sounds of someone chopping tree stumps. "There you are, mister. I've been looking for you." I say with a smirk on my face. Luke doesn't notice I've arrived and keeps chopping away at the stump. I walk up closer to him and he finally realizes I'm there and smiles. "Oh hey, Vissa. I didn't know you were there."

"Oh please." I roll my eyes but I can't help but smile. "Hey, are you done with my fishing pole. I kinda wanted to go fishing today."

"Oh yea! Actually, I never used it once you let me borrow it." He scratches the back of his head. "Thanks for letting me borrow it though." He gives me a thumbs up as he turns towards the path to his house. "I'll go get it." I follow him out of the woods and up to the shop. "One second." He says and heads on inside. I stand in the shade of the house, and a small ladybug catches my eye as it crawls along the wood frames on the house. When the bug flies away, I start to get impatient. I walk up to the door and open it, only to hit something in the process. "Owch!" I hear someone say. I peak my head in to see Luke on the floor, a broken fishing pole snapped in half on either side of him. "Oh, no! Your fishing pole! It broke! I'm so sorry, Vissa! I'll make you a new one I promise!" I feel anger rising up inside of me, but it's not towards him.

"Oh, Luke. It's not your fault. I shouldn't have opened the door like that. This was my bad." I say to him. He looks at me as he gets up and grabs the pieces of pole and walks over to his workbench. "I bet tape will fix it!" he says. I watch as he tries to tape the pole back together, but it doesn't work out like he hoped. I watch as disappointment consumes his face and I go up and give him a hug from behind. "It's okay, Luke. It was old and I couldn't catch any fish with it anyways." I say to him, trying to make him smile.

"You just got this pole for your birthday 2 years ago, Viss. It's not that old." He says to me. I just shrug it off and grab the now taped pole and look at it. "Well, I'm sure you can make me an even better one. Maybe add some cool touches to it. Make it awesome."

This makes him smile. "Yea, maybe I can carve fish into it!" I giggle at his enthusiasm. "How about we just keep it simple, Luke." No offense to him, but I don't see him as artistically gifted. Most of the wood carvings are made by his father or Bo. For my birthday one year, Dale, Luke's father, made me a bookcase and carved sunflowers on the sides. It was beautiful. Ever since, I've used it to store all my books in.

"Hey, why don't we go to the river and try catching fish with our hands, like those guys on TV!" he says. It's not something I would really do, but I bet it would be entertaining to watch Luke try to catch fish with his bare hands. "Okay, let's do it!" I say with a smirk on my face.

We would've walked down to Caramel River, but Luke decided to make it a race, and well he won. "Good job, Luke. I'm not surprised you beat me. You usually always do." I say once I catch my breath.

"Aww, Lovissa, you gave up too early. You gotta push yourself!" He says while doing victory jumps around the field. I watch him and laugh until my eyes notice a large patch of field near the beach. I stare at it and take in the view. "It's beautiful." I think out loud.

"What is?" Luke looks over in the direction I'm facing and snorts. "The ocean? Vissa, you've lived here your whole life and you just now notice how pretty it is?"

"No, Luke. Not the ocean. The patch of land near it." I jog slowly over to it and stop when I come to a large gap between where I am standing and the land. "Aww, I wanted to explore it." I mumble.

"Well pops told me to find a project to do when we're not super busy. I can build you a bridge! Then you can explore this spot all you want!" Luke says with delight. I turn around and give him a huge hug. "That'd be awesome, Luke! I'm so glad we're friends!" We both fall to the ground and just lay there laughing.

Later on, we eventually got to the river and Luke tried catching some fish. I gave up after an hour of missing, but Luke never wanted to back down. He always found a way to make small things into competitions. I loved his competitive spirit and endless energy. I bet the boy slept well at night.

"Hey Lovissa. Hey... Luke?" I hear a voice along with footsteps coming up behind me. I turn around to find Toby with his fishing pole, which is always with him. "Hey, Toby." I smile at him and he smiles back but then looks towards the river with a confused look on his face. "What are you guys doing?" He asks.

"Luke's catching fish." I say with a neutral tone. Toby stands there for a minute, no facial expression apparent on his face. Toby usually is always smiling or whistling. For some reason this wasn't something he was happy about. "Luke, get out of the water now! You're scaring all the fish!" He yells. I've never heard Toby yell before, or seen him so serious.

"I CAUGHT ONE!" Luke yells. He jumps out of the water, soaking wet, and runs over to us to show off the carp he caught. The fish keeps wiggling in Luke's hand but he pays no attention to it. "Isn't it awesome!" He grins.

Toby stays quiet and I just keep staring at the large fish in Luke's hand. He actually caught a fish with his bare hands. Is there anything this boy can't do? I'm honestly starting to doubt it.

"Wow, Luke. You should be on TV." I say to him. I can't help but smile at how happy he is. He smiles even wider but it only lasts a few seconds because he loses grips on the carp. He turns around to see it flopping down the side of the river towards the water. He tries to catch up to it but it reaches the water before he can even try to grab it. "Dammit! You guys are my witnesses. I did totally catch a fish with my hands!" He grumbles at the water. He kicks it with his feet and turns around to grab his shoes. His shoulders are slumped down and he looks upset. "Aw, cheer up, Luke. We can always come back to grab fish with our hands again sometime." I say , hoping to make him smile. Success. "You're right. It was one fish. Next time, I'll catch even more. Maybe even a shark!" He raises his fist into the air.

"Sharks only live in the ocean, idiot." Toby says, and with that he turns around and heads towards Caramel Falls.

"Well, anyways, I wanna catch a shark." Luke says once Toby's out of earshot.

"I'm sure you can, Luke." I say. I give him a gentle punch to the arm and we both walk back to our homes.


	2. A Bridge Built for Two

Chapter 2

The next few days, Luke's been hard at work and he won't tell me with what. We say hi to each other whenever we cross paths, but he won't tell me what he's doing. "It's a surprise!" he says. I've asked his father and Bo what he's been up to but they said even they don't know. Late one day, I was out in the field brushing Blue when something draws his attention. I turn around to see Luke coming up the pathway towards me. He waves his hand in the air and I do the same.

"Hey, Viss. I have something to show you." He says.

"So you're all done now with it? That was quick.. or long. In all honesty, I actually missed having you around. I was so bored." I confess.

"Aww, don't worry. I'm done now and we can hang out all you want. Come on, I'll show you what I was working on, but you have to keep your eyes closed once I say so." I laugh and comply to his request. "Good, now let's go!" He grabs my hand and we both head over to the riverside.

I close my eyes when Luke tells me to and I hold onto his hand tight, hoping I don't fall over or trip. I feel Luke let go of my hand and I begin to open my eyes.

It takes me a while to notice it, but there it was. A perfectly built bridge leading over to the plot of land I was admiring the other day. "Oh, Luke. You weren't joking about it. You really built it!" I give him a short hug and make my way over the bridge to the other side.

"I'm glad you like it. It was fun to build too. I almost fell off a few times, but luckily I had a good grip." He joins me on the grass and I give him another hug. This one lasting longer.

"Oh, Luke. You're the best friend I could ever ask for!" I say. I look up into his eyes and I can't help but kiss him. On the lips. I back up really fast and I stare at him and he looks at me with a look of shock on his face. "Oh my God. I am so.. I didn't mean to. Uhm.. I'm so happy. I don't know what came over me." I cover my face with my hands to hide my embarrassment.

"Haha, it's cool. I'm glad you love it. It was all worth it though."

I can't believe I kissed my best friend, over a bridge he built. Thankfully he wasn't too weirded out by it. The thing I love the most about Luke is that he never holds onto something for so long. He moves on fast and just shakes it off. He's so care-free, I can't help but feel jealous sometimes.

"Well, anyways, my project's done and I can take a break now. What would you like to do?" He asks me.

"Well now that this plot of land is open, thanks to you," I smile at him, "we can explore it!" I wander towards a tree nearby and sit next to it. Luke follows and takes a seat next to me. "I see why you were so stunned by this place. It really is pretty." He says as he looks out towards the ocean. I take in a deep breath, and the smells of the sea fills my nose.

Luke and I just sit and talk under the tree for a few hours. When we eventually stand up, Luke can't help but laugh at how our butt's left prints in the grass. I laugh along with him. We part ways near the blacksmith's, but this time Luke comes running up to me after he said goodbye. "Lovissa, I wanted to ask you something. Tomorrow at the Sundae Inn, they're having a new lunch special. It's supposed to be really good I hear. Would you wanna go there with me and try it?" I notice the eagerness in his eyes and I nod my head yes.

"Sweet! I can't wait. Meet me here tomorrow around 12:15. That's when I'm on my lunch break. Maybe I can ask pops for the rest of the day off." He smiles at this and punches the air above him like he just won an event. "Anyways, I'm tired. I'mma go eat some dinner and go to sleep. See ya later, Lovissa!" And with that, Luke's gone.


	3. A Lunch Date with An Awkward Ending

Chapter 3

Noon comes before I know it and I try to find myself something nice to wear. I_ will not go out to eat in a dirty t-shirt and worn jeans. _ I settle for a light blue tank top and white shorts. Luke's late, but it's nothing out of the ordinary for him. I stand outside the Blacksmith's for about 10 minutes and Owen randomly appears. "Hey, Lovissa. Do you want inside? I'm pretty sure we're open.." He says jokingly. I let out a little laugh but tell him I'm waiting for Luke. "Oh yea, he invited me too. I ran into him this morning and he told me he was going to the Inn for lunch with you and that I could tag along. I told him no because I had plans for lunch today." He winked at me and I knew what he was talking about.

Kathy was new to this town, and recently moved here a few months ago. We became quick friends due to the fact we shared the same love for horses and she would always come over to help take care of Blue. Eventually, one night Owen went to the bar to get a drink after a hard day's work and that's how he met Kathy. I guess it was kind of love at first sight, but Kathy wasn't sure Owen was her type. When she would be over at my house, all she did was talk about him. I knew there was something going on between them, it was obvious. Owen finally got the guts to ask her out last weekend and they've been hanging out whenever the chance arose.

"I'm sure Luke will be here soon. It's not like him to pass up a free meal is it?" He laughs at his own joke and heads inside the smith's. As if on cue, Luke comes running up the path from Maple Lake. " Hey, Vissa. Sorry I'm late. Pops and I were working on the dock near the lake." He gestures at me and I quickly jog over to him. "Let's go!" He says as we walk down towards the Inn.

We arrive at around 12:30 but there's still an empty table for us. Maya takes our orders and Luke randomly starts spacing out. I wave at his face once Maya leaves to get our food, but he doesn't budge. "Luke? Are you thinking that hard about the special? You might hurt yourself." I tease. He doesn't respond soI turn around to see what he's looking at.

A beautifully tanned woman is dancing off in the distance of the dining area. I watch her as she sways her hips in a liquid like manner and her arms move slowly around in the air. Her outfit consists of a purple shirt, short enough to see her defined abdomen. Her legs are covered by what looks to be white, silk, baggy pants decorated with jewelry. I turn my head around to notice that Luke isn't the only boy mesmerized by this exotic woman.

Maya returns with our food and I ask her who the woman dancing is. "Oh that's Selena. Her family owns an inn on Toucan Island. My mother and father met them a long time ago and Selena came over to our island and my parents took her in as an entertainer. Isn't she great?" She says with a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "It's gross how guys look at her. She's great personality wise. She's friendly, too friendly in my opinion." She raises her nose in disgust and walks off to another table.

Luke finally snaps out of it when he notices we have food. "Oh yum! This looks great!" He says as he begins digging into his food. _That's not the only thing that looks great to you _I mumble.

The food was actually really delicious. Marinated teriyaki with a side of pineapple rings and a bowl of exotic fruit. Fruit punch was also the drink I ordered, so I felt like I was in an exotic habitat eating off the land. The thought makes me smile. Luke notices me spacing off and waves a hand in my face and asks if I'm going to finish my food. I want to say yes, but end up giving him the leftovers anyways.

"Oh boy I am stuffed." I say out loud. I let out a small burp in appreciation. I glance around to see if Maya is nearby. I spot her and ask her to tell Yolanda thank you for the great meal. I walk back over to find Luke watching Selena again. "Why don't you go talk to her?" I say as I elbow his side. "I don't know. I don't think I can. You go talk to her for me." Luke says. I give him a look but his puppy dog eyes get the better of me. "Fine," I said and walked over to the dancing girl.

"You dance really well." I say to get a conversation going.

"Thank you, do you dance?" She says. Her voice is seductive and smooth with a slight exotic accent. Almost makes me not want to say anything anymore.

"Oh, uh no. I don't. I'm actually a rancher." I blurt out.  
>"Oh, I bet that is fun." She says. I don't know if she's mocking me or being sincere. "If you would like to learn to dance, I could teach you sometime. It's not hard, as long as you practice." She smiles at me when she says this and I nod my head. "That actually sounds like it would be fun. Sure I can try, but that's not the reason I really came over here." I explain. " I really came over here because my friend over there thinks you're hot."<p>

A grin appears on her face and she looks behind me to see Luke randomly staring at a decorative plant. "Him?" She points over towards him and I nod. "His name is Luke," I tell her. She walks over to him and introduces herself. I can tell he's nervous because he keeps rubbing the back of his head with his hand. I smile over at him to reassure him that it's okay, she won't bite, but the smile soon fades and I feel a little upset that he's getting attention from her. I don't understand. He's just a guy I know. No big deal. So why did I feel so weird seeing him talking to another girl. I've seen him talk to Renee and Kathy all the time, why was this any different.

Selena grabs a pen and writes something down on a napkin and hands it to Luke. She waves him goodbye and goes back to dancing. I join Luke and see that the thing on the paper is Selena's number. "Wow, she gave me her number, Viss. You. Are. Awesome!" He gives me a huge hug and I try hard to smile up at him. I actually felt like ripping that paper into pieces.

We left Sundae Inn and Luke went back to working on the dock with his dad. I had to talk to someone about how I felt or else I was going to explode! I found Kathy at her house, getting back from her date with Owen, and she even brought Owen. "Hey guys. Can I talk to you?" I ask.

"Sure, what's up, Lov?" Kathy opens the door and we all walk inside.

I cut right to the chase. "Have you seen the new dancer at Sundae Inn?"

"Yea, why? She's actually not what I thought she'd be. I honestly thought she'd be stuck up and rude, but she's actually really nice." Kathy says.

"Same here." Replies Owen.

"Well, Luke and I were having lunch there and he wouldn't stop staring at her. He asked me to talk to her for him because he was too nervous and she gave him his number, and I felt weird when it happened. I wanted to take him away from her. I don't know why. He's just a friend." I confess.

Kathy and Owen look at each other and both nod their heads as if they know what's going on. "Lovissa, I think you caught the terrible bug called, jealousy." Kathy announces.

"I am so not jealous. I mean Luke's been my best buddy since we were 8." I argue.

"Well, maybe you didn't know you had feelings for Luke until someone else got in the way and now you notice he might be taken away from you." Owen pipes in.

"Yea, you guys are always together. I'd be surprised if you two never had feelings of being more than friends." Kathy says.

"I don't know. I can't picture me with Luke like that. He's my pal, my buddy." I try to imagine me kissing Luke again. I hate admitting I liked the feeling but you can't kiss you're best friend. Not like that.

"Well it would take time getting used to, that's for sure." Owen said.

"What if Luke really ends up liking Selena and they end up... together. Then Luke and I can't hang out as much anymore!" I stand up quickly as I realize this.

Kathy giggles at my reaction but her tone comes out serious when she tells me that I need to step it up before I lose Luke to Selena. "You need to figure out on your own if you like Luke more than a friend or not. You have to think about it. If you tell Luke you like him, like really like him, he might find it awkward and avoid you. Or maybe he might truly feel the same way. I don't know."

Owen ponders this and comes up with an idea. " I can always try to see what's on his mind. Ask him questions, but not to straightforward." Kathy agrees to this and I end up agreeing myself. Later that night at home, I close my eyes and all that I can see is Luke and Selena, hand in hand, walking around town. I can't stand it. I don't want anyone else to have Luke. He's mine. He always has been!


	4. Jealous Much?

Chapter 4

The next few days were tough. Every time I hang with Luke, he talks about Selena. "We talked on the phone for a few hours last night," or, "She told me that she thinks guys who work hard are sexy! Can you believe it? She thinks I'm sexy! HAH!"I laughed at that one because the way he said it just made him look silly.

I kinda started avoiding Luke after a while. He'd ask me to go for a walk but I'd make an excuse to get out of it. I honestly felt that if I heard one more thing about how great Selena was, I was going to lose it. All afternoon I laid on my bed and watched the clouds outside my window slowly change colors as the sun started setting. A soft knock breaks my concentration, or lack of concentration actually, and I sit up to see my little sister come in the room. "You doing okay?" She asks. I can hear the concern in her voice and I want to tell her everything.

"Renee, have you ever liked someone?" She blushes when I ask this and she looks down at her hands and presses them together.

"I actually like someone now. A lot," her face turns red when she admits it.

"Who?" I ask suddenly interested.

"You can't tell him, or anyone! Okay!" I promise her and she tells me who it is. "Toby." She turns her face as if embarrassed by even saying his name.

"Aww, Toby is so sweet. I'm sure you guys would be cute together!" I chirp. She smiles and turns even more red. "Really? You think so?" She sings.

"I know so!" I tell her. She smiles and then asks me why I asked. I tell her about Luke and Selena and her brows draw closer together as she tries to understand. "So you and Luke are best friends, but now that Selena shows up, you think you're feeling jealous and might actually like him more?"

"Yes," I confess.

"Well, then you need to try to show him how you feel or keep him interested in you." She walks over to me and sits next to me on my bed. She looks into my eyes and speaks softly. "I'm sure Luke feels the same way for you. He just hasn't realized it yet. I'm sure if he saw you with another guy, he'd be jealous too."

"You really think he would be jealous of me?" I don't think Luke would be jealous, to be honest.

"Well I know someone who might help you. I was talking to Maya the other day and she was blabbing about how Chase doesn't pay attention to her or how he won't eat her cooking, then you came into the Inn and he randomly became chatty and happy and kept glancing at you." She says this as if she just discovered something really amazing.

"I can't use Chase like that. If he really likes me and finds out I don't feel the same way and led him on, then he'll hate me. He's too good for that." I tell her.

"Well then either move on or try with Luke. He's your best friend, but maybe he's happy with Selena." Her voice softens and I can tell she didn't really want to say all that.

"Maybe you're right. If Luke is happy with Selena, I shouldn't try to break it apart. I'll be a good friend and let him do what he wants. Even if it's not with me!" I say, trying to tell myself it'll work.

Renee smiles at me, but I don't think she truly believes me. "Well anyways. If you want to try moving on, try going for Chase. Or maybe Gill. You guys like books. Maybe you two can have a romance novel club, but in real life." She giggles and I give her a fake punch to the arm.

"Gill's too snobby for me. Yeah we like books, but our tastes are totally different. I guess I can try with Chase. I mean I've talked to him a bunch of times but usually he's at work when we do talk."

"Well, next time ask him to hang out with you when he's not working. The firefly festival is coming up, invite him to go!" She exclaims.

"I guess I should huh? I won't be going with Luke, obviously, first time in 10 years. It'll be sad, but better than being alone right?" I smile at her idea and we both begin planning what I should say to Chase


	5. Three's a Crowd

Chapter 5

I walk into the Sundae Inn on a Tuesday afternoon and head straight to the back. Just as I expected, Chase is busy away finding ingredients for meals.

I knock on the door frame to the kitchen and Chase looks up and smiles at me. I smile back and he tells me to come in. "Hey Chase. What are you making?" I want to start the conversation slow, this is all I can think of.

"Oh, just going to make some pasta. You can watch if you want. It might be boring, but I promise if you stay the whole thing, I'll let you have your own bowl if you'd like." I take up his offer, I mean who wouldn't? Chase was known for his amazing food dishes and I heard he makes amazing pasta.

As he boils the water and prepares the sauce, we start talking about our lives and working and randomly he asks if I'm going with anyone to the Firefly Festival.

"Well I usually go with Luke as friends, but we haven't talked much lately. So I don't have anyone to go with." His face brightens when he hears this and I can see the happiness in his eyes. "Well, how about going with me then? I have no one," he brings his voice down to a whisper, "and I don't want to go with Maya." We both laugh and I tell him that I'd be more than happy to go to the festival with him.

Later, we eat some pasta together and he asks me if I'm free tomorrow. I tell him I'm pretty much always free once I'm done with my chores in the morning and he told me to meet him here at 2 in the afternoon. I agreed and I told him I had to get going.

I leave the Inn and as soon as I close the door I hear a familiar voice calling my name. I look towards the path to Maple Lake to see a very happy Luke running towards me.

"LOVISSA!" He yells. I give him a wave. "Hey Lu-" He hugs me before I can even finish his name.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you in days! I started to get worried! I missed you like crazy!" He hugs me tighter and I hug him back. _I missed you too, Luke. So much. You don't even know it._ I wish I could say that, but all I choke out is, "Missed you too." I wish I wasn't an idiot. I usually always knew what to say to him, but ever since Selena showed up, all I've done is end up speechless when Luke came around.

"I went to your house and Renee told me you came to the Inn. So I came running down to see you! Sorry I haven't talked to you lately. I've been busy with work. My pops' been wanting us to get tons of wood and stuff. He said we're building a house, he won't tell me for who though. So I guess we won't know till that person moves in." I hug Luke even tighter, missing his random babbling.

"Hey, wanna hang out? I'm free now and we have tons to talk about." I think about his offer and at first I want to say no. I don't want to get involved with him again, but then again, he's my best friend. Nothing more, right? "Sure. Let's go to my favorite spot." I suggest, and he agrees. We start talking about what we've been up to lately. I lie and tell him I've been helping out at the ranch and been reading books under Alan's tree. "You've always been a book worm, ever since we were kids. You always came up with ideas from your books for us to pretend. I remember you wanted to be the knight from a book you read and I told you that only boys can be knights and we argued until you finally accepted being a princess." We both laugh at the memory and I bring up a time when we were playing around outside when we found a squirrel and he chased it and didn't realize where he was going and fell into a mud puddle. We both laughed when it happened but he ended up hugging me afterwards, leaving mud stains all over my clothes. We laugh for a while at how crazy we were as kids, but silence fills the air quickly. Luke is the first to speak up.

"Lovissa, you know how the Firefly Festival is coming up?" I nodded. "Well, you see, you and me usually always go together right? Well, I was hoping this time I could bring Selena with us. She's never been to one and I told her she can come with us and it'd be fun!" He smiles wide and I feel myself trying to smile even though my body doesn't want to.

"Sounds fun, but I told Chase I'd go with him." I admit. His face twitches for a second, as he thinks about it. " Oh that's cool, too. Maybe all four of us can hang out! We'd have a blast!" I want to say yes, but I don't know if Chase would be up to it. "We can try, yea." I finally say.

"Cool I can't wait. Well, it's getting late. I should be getting back before Pops gets mad." Luke says.

We both get up and start heading home. We wave goodbye to each other, but I walk home feeling emptier than I did when I woke up.


	6. Ice Cream

Chapter 6

The next day arrived and I almost forgot about my promise to meet Chase at two. I walk into the Inn, in my usual apparel; t-shirt and shorts. Chase walks out of the kitchen, his apron off, and I can't help but take in his appearance. He's taller than me by a few inches. He's wearing a slim fitting t-shirt and jean pants. I almost feel as though I'm meeting the wrong person. Chase notices I've arrived and walks over to greet me. "Hey Lovissa, right on time. I just got off work a while ago and had to change." He looks down at himself in satisfaction. "You look great," I blurt out. I feel my cheeks getting warm. He just laughs it off.

"Well, since it's been so hot lately, I thought we could get some ice cream and eat it near Maple lake. Then maybe go for a walk later. How does that sound?"

"That sounds great!" I say. I love ice cream!

Chase leads me to the kitchen and he scoops us each vanilla ice cream onto some cones. We both leave the Inn and head towards the Maple Lake District. He walk around for a bit then settle down on a nice shaded bench near the lake to finish our ice cream. We start talking and I notice that Chase has some ice cream dripping down his chin. I grab my napkin and wipe it off and he blushes. "Sorry for my eating habits." He jokes. I just tell him it's no big deal and to show it, I smear some ice cream on my face. He laughs and grabs his napkin to wipe it off. "You are one unique girl, Lovissa. I'll tell you that." As he says this, my stomach starts to do flips and I can tell I'm getting butterflies. I've had a small crush on Chase for a while, but I've never thought I'd be this close to him.

I dip my pinky in my last bit of ice cream and put it on Chase's nose. He tries to lick it off with his tongue but fails miserably. I giggle and he gives me my own ice creamed nose. The rest of the ice cream ended up on our faces but we both laughed and wiped it off with our napkins. "I'm having a good time today. I haven't laughed this hard in ages." I turn to look at Chase, and I can see in his eyes that he's telling the truth. "It's all because of you, Lovissa. I am thankful." I feel his hand rest against mine.

His hands are warm and soft. I put my fingers between his and I smile. I've never held hands before.. well, at least like this. We both stand up and start to walk around for a bit. The sun is starting to go down in the horizon but I don't want this day to end. Not once have I thought about Luke. I feel as though maybe Chase and I are meant to be. Maybe I just had to find someone I could spend time with to be happy.

Chase eventually walks me home once the sun is about gone, and I thank him for the ice cream and the walk. "I had a really good time, thank you, Chase." We both smile and he lets go of my hand. "I hope we can hang out again sometime." He says before I open my door. I leap off my door step and kiss him on the cheek. "Of course, I wouldn't want anything more." I say, and then turn to open my door and run inside to tell Renee all about my date.


	7. Firefly Festival

Chapter 7

The day of the Firefly Festival arrived and I couldn't help but feel excited to see Chase again. This was my favorite holiday. I loved watching the lit up flower boats sailing along the ocean. I had Renee help me figure out what outfit to wear and she told me to just go as myself. I told her it was a special occasion and I had to be more formal. So we decided on a peach colored tank top that was almost long enough to be a dress, and underneath I wore a white skirt that went down to my mid thighs. I wore brown sandals and I let my hair hang down. I forgot how long it was, since I usually kept it up all the time. I found a ribbon almost the same color as my shirt and I tied it into a bow and pinned it to my hair near my bangs. I looked gorgeous.

I heard a knock on the door and I figured it to be Chase. As it turned out, it was actually Luke.

"Hey, Luke. What are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.

"Oh, Hi Lovissa. You look great." He said. I started to think he forgot why he came over in the first place. "I uhm, wanted to see if you were still going tonight." He finally says.

"Yes I am going. Thank you for coming over to make sure." I say teasingly.

"Yea, sure thing. Well see ya." Then he ran off.

I honestly don't know what that was about but it was really odd. Anyways, Chase was on his way up the path 10 minutes after the awkward Luke encounter. He commented on my outfit and I did the same to his. He wore a white button up t-shirt with a dark blue tank top underneath. He had on light blue jeans and black sneakers. He looked hot. He held my hand the entire way over to Caramel Falls where the festival is being held. We show up and greet a few of our friends. Kathy and Owen eye me over and Kathy points over at Chase, who thankfully isn't paying attention. I tell him I'll be right back and he goes over to talk to Gill.

"So what happened to the getting Luke back thing?" Kathy asks.

I explained the whole night with Renee. "Well, I thought about it, and Chase makes me happy and Luke is happy with Selena so I didn't want to break up his happiness. So I'm moving on with Chase now." Kathy gives me a small hug before walking off with Owen to find a good spot to sit.

The festival begins and I end up sitting in Chase's lap, his arms wrapped around me as Mayor Hamilton talks about how the festival began. Once that's over, Chase and I select our flowers. We both pick blue. "I didn't know blue was your favorite color." He says. "Yea, I've loved blue for a long time. I just never wear it much or talk about it. Never came up." I confess. We both release our boats and he puts his arm around my waist as we watch them sail down the river. "I love this festival. I love seeing the lights from the boats out on the ocean. It's so beautiful." I exclaim. "I agree, the sight is amazing," says Chase. We both sit next to a tree and he wraps his arms around me again as we watch the boats float in the ocean. I can't help but look around for Luke, but I don't see him anywhere. Selena showed up but she wasn't with Luke. She was with Jake and Colleen and Maya. She was dressed in baggy pants and a plain t-shirt that still showed off her flat belly. Even if she was being casual, the girl was gorgeous. I see why Luke liked her so much. I couldn't help but wonder if he ever looked at me that way. I closed my eyes for a bit only to find myself dreaming about Luke. I missed him so much. I couldn't take it anymore. I had to talk to him sooner or later.

"Hey, Chase. I'm getting tired. I think I should go home now. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I had a wonderful time with you. I'm sorry I wore you out." He chuckles and I feel his chest move with his laughter, causing me laugh along. He walks me home and neither of us want to say goodbye. We stand on my porch looking at each other for a bit until I start to move towards him. My body is moving on its own accord and I don't even care. He starts to move in closer too and I feel his soft lips touch mine. His hand finds my cheek and I keep both of mine at my sides, too nervous to move. He pulls away first and just stares into my eyes. For the first time I notice how beautiful his violet eyes are. The way they change colors in the moonlight.

"I didn't know you had company." We both turn to see an unhappy Luke a few feet away from us.

Chase turns to look at him, and then back at me. I can see that he is just as confused about this as I am. I look at both boys and address Luke first.

"Luke what are you doing here?" I say bluntly.

"I came by to talk to you but I see I interrupted something." He says firmly. His eyebrows are almost connected and his eyes show anger.

"You actually did, Luke. Lovissa and I were just saying goodbye." Chase smiles at me, which ticks Luke off.

Luke walks up to Chase and looks him straight in the eyes. "Listen bud, if you so much as hurts Lovissa in any way, you'll be sorry." He raises his fist near Chase's face, who doesn't even seem to care about Luke's threat.

I was the next to speak. "Luke, stop. I think you should go home. Now." I point towards the path leading to Ganache Mines and he stares at my finger. Chase decides to end the awkward silence by giving me a quick kiss goodbye and leaves.

"Luke, I'm really sorry about all this, but Chase and I are together." I hope the sympathy in my voice is able to calm him down.

"Don't apologize. I'm the idiot who intruded on you two." I reach my arm out but quickly draw it back, knowing a hug wouldn't be the best thing right now. "Bye, Lovissa. Hope you two are happy."

"Luke!" I yell but he's already taken off.


	8. Luke to The Rescue!

Chapter 8

A week went by and I avoided both Luke and Chase. I tried calling Luke yesterday because I was getting worried and annoyed but Dale answered and said Luke was out and he'd have him call me later, but he never did. I wanted to try and go there in person but I was too scared. What if Luke avoids me and the way he looked at me the night of the festival, it tore my heart in two. I never want to see that look on his face again.

Chase called the past few nights to see if I was doing okay, but I never called him back. My mom or dad would make an excuse as to why I couldn't talk. He came by this morning before he had to work to see how I was doing. Renee was luckily up when he came by and answered the door and told him I was still asleep and hadn't been feeling well. He asked if it was okay for him to see me later but she told him I needed rest. I told her thank you for covering me and she just smiled and told me to take my time in deciding what I wanted to do.

I got out of bed and got dressed in whatever clean clothes I could find. I had to go talk to Luke. No matter what, I had to tell him the truth of how I felt. About him and Selena and how I felt about him.

I hurried over to the Carpenter's shop, to luckily not find Luke outside. I peeked inside the windows to find the shop totally empty except for a working Dale. I made my way over to Praline Woods, to find a slumped over Luke sitting on a log, his axe leaning up against it. His face was lying in his hands and I couldn't tell if he was crying or just tired.

I walked up to him and just stood a few feet away from him. I try to say something but I instantly forget why I came and what I was going to say. All I could do was stand there. Luke finally looked up and saw me and immediately put his face back in his hands. He looks tired and really upset. I don't know how I could have hurt him. He seemed busy and happy over Selena. I don't know how a kiss could change that in a heartbeat.

"Luke, we need to talk." I finally said.

"Why."

"I have to tell you something, a few things actually." This time he sat up and grabbed his axe and began chopping away at the stump. I wasn't sure if he was listening or trying to drown me out, but I continued anyway. "What you saw the other night. With Chase-"

"Yea I know you two are a 'thing' now. You didn't have to come here just to tell me that." He chopped down on the stump really hard afterwards.

"I don't see why Chase and I kissing bothered you. I'm sure you and Selena kiss all the time." I argued. He stopped chopping at the stump and looked over at me.

"You think I've been kissing Selena?" He asked.

"Actually, yeah. You always talked about her when we hung out and we never hang out much after you met her. I only assumed you two were going out. So I didn't think my getting a boyfriend would bother you so much since you were always gone."

"You're too funny, Viss. I'm not dating Selena. She has a nice personality and smokin' body, but there's something missing. I considered dating her, but I would always find a way to talk myself out of it. She's not the one for me."

I stand motionless, trying to understand what he's saying. "Luke, I.." I start to say, but Owen comes running over to us with a look of panic on his face.

"Luke, Lovissa! Thank goodness I found you. Chloe got stuck in the mine! I can't get her out on my own! I need your help. I got Calvin and Dale to help, but we can always use more. Please!" He pleads.

"What happened? How did she get stuck?" I ask.

"I was going into the mine and she must have followed me. I felt a small shake and exited the mine, but then the shaking got worse and I went back into the shop and I couldn't find Chloe anywhere. Ramsey said that she went out once I left and he hasn't seen her since. We ran back into the mine and we could hear feint cries coming from below. A bunch of rocks are blocking the way and the ground keeps shaking. I don't care about the shaking, I just want to save Chloe."

I took in all that was going on and agreed to help him before I even thought about what I was getting myself into.

I started to follow Owen when I felt Luke grabbed my wrist. "Don't go." He told me.

"Luke, I have to help them. Chloe's in trouble!" I pull my wrist from his grasp and he gently lets go.

"I'll go. I don't want you getting hurt." He starts following Owen and I try to follow too but he turns around and stops me. His face is dead serious and he stares into my eyes. His amber eyes are now a deep gold, all signs of joking and laughter have left his face.

"Luke, I don't understand."

"Lovissa, I don't want you going in there. It's too dangerous. I'll go. As long as you're safe, then that's all I care about." I stood there, never averting my eyes. Tears started to form and I could feel a lump rising in my throat.

"I love you, Lovissa. I always have. If anything happened to you. I don't think I could ever smile again."

"Luke.." I stand watching him run off towards the rescue group, being a hero. My knees give out and I fall to the ground and watch the team go into the mines to go save Chloe.


	9. Amber Eyes

Chapter 9

A few hours go by, and Bo invited me into the shop to wait till any news about Chloe's rescue. Bo made some hot cocoa, but I just ended up staring at it. He could tell something was bothering me and asked if it had to do with Luke. I nodded. My throat too dry to talk.

"I kinda figured something was going on. I mean he hasn't been himself lately. He doesn't talk much and to cheer him up I even asked Dale to get him a spinach cake, but he didn't even want to eat it. So we knew it was serious. We thought you two had gotten into a huge fight or something."

I explained the whole Chase and I kissing episode to Bo and he nodded as if he understood.

"I kinda figured he liked you. All he ever did was talk about you all the time. He talked about Selena every now and then, but it always ended up centered on you." He smiles at me and I give him a weak smile in return. I start fiddling with my spoon and create small whirlpools in my chocolate.

"I'm starting to get worried. What if they get stuck?" I ask eagerly.

"I don't think that's possible. Luke has too much willpower to let a bunch of rocks stop him."

We both laugh, knowing it's true.

Another hour goes by and we begin hearing sounds coming from outside. We take a peak to see a bunch of dirty men coming out of the mine and Owen carrying a scared Chloe. Bo and I run outside to join the commotion. My heart starts beating fast as I franticly look around for Luke. I feel hands cover my eyes and I grab hold of them and turn around to see a dirty Luke smirking at me. I jump up and give him a huge hug. Not caring if I get dirty.

"I'm so glad you're okay. I was really worried." I look up into his eyes. They've returned to their normal shade of amber and I smile seeing my old buddy is back.

"I couldn't abandon you, could I? What friend would I be if I didn't come back?" He leans his forehead against mine and I close my eyes as I hold him tighter. "Oh Luke, I've missed you so much. You don't even know."

"Believe me I do." We hold each other for a long time. Everyone starts saying goodbyes and heading home and Owen thanks them all for their help. Luke and I head over to my favorite spot and we both sit down against the tree.

"I'm sorry I didn't show up to the festival." Luke says.

"It's okay." I reply.

"I wanted to go, but you told me you were going with Chase I couldn't help but feel weird. Jealous even. I told Selena I had to stay home and work on something. She said it was cool and that she'd go with her friends. I wanted to see you later that night but that's when I saw you two kissing." He closes his fist when he says the word 'kissing'.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Luke. If I could I'd take it all back. To be honest, I always wished it'd been you, ya know?"My cheeks feel warm so i start fiddling with a small dandelion.

"Really? You wished it was me the whole time?" He smiles wide at me and I can't help but smile back. I really did miss his smiles. "Yes." I tell him.

He turns to look at me. His eyes serious, but his face has a firm smile planted on it. "What?" I ask. He starts to lean closer to me. "I want to try something." I start blushing but lean in to him and close my eyes. I feel his lips touch mine. At first it feels awkward, but neither of us stop and before I know it, we're really kissing. I pull away first and stare at him, biting my lip as I smile. He looks at me confused. "I could get used to this. It's different, but in a good way." I lean in to kiss him again and this time we don't pull away.


	10. Firefly Falls

Chapter 10

I called Chase that night and he asked how Chloe was. I guess he heard the news and I told him she was okay. He started talking about how careful Owen should be next time and that he was working on a new recipe. He said I inspired him and so he wanted to make me something amazing. I felt bad, but I had to tell him the truth. "Chase, you're a really great guy, and really sweet, but I don't think we should date anymore." I closed my eyes as I listened to the awkward silence ringing through the phone.

I heard a sigh from the other line and Chase finally said something. "I knew it."

"Knew what?" I asked confused.

"You're in love with Luke aren't you." He said seriously.

"This isn't about Luke. I called because I want you and I to be friends. Okay? You're a great guy and should spend that on someone who wants to be more than a friend. I heard Maya likes you a lot. Maybe give her a try." I suggest. I know Chase despises Maya sometimes, but I'm sure deep down he has some feelings for her.

"I most likely won't be spending anything on Maya. Not until she stops being clingy and stops making such terrible food." He chuckles awkwardly and I just stare at the phone, trying not to laugh with him. Maya was one terrible cook, but I gave her kudos for never giving up. Her food tasted like death. Not joking. "You know, Lovissa. I've always liked you. I couldn't help but feel so jealous of Luke always getting your attention. I always told myself I had no chance with you, but when you told me you were free for the Firefly Festival I was so excited. I thought 'Now's my opportunity! I only wish it lasted longer." I close my eyes, holding back the salty tears trying to escape. I felt terrible doing this to him.

"Chase, I had a small crush on you the last few years. I just never told anyone because I was never sure of how you felt, but right now I know there's someone else for you. I really enjoyed our time together. I hope you can understand." I mumble, taking deep breathes in between words, trying to hold myself together. Chase is quiet for a while.

"Well, it's been a hard day at work. I'm going to call it a night. If you change your mind, Lovissa. You know where to find me. Goodnight." He hangs up and I didn't even get to say goodbye. I put the phone back on the hook and head up to my room. I lay on my bed staring up at the ceiling and drawing random animals with my finger in the air. I end closing my eyes and falling asleep.

I wake up to a feint clacking sound coming from my window. My eyes shoot open and I look at my window to see nothing. I reach around for my stuffed horse and hold it tight. It always helps me feel calm. I hear the sound again and squeeze my stuffed horse tighter. I stand up slowly and inch my way towards the window. I hear the clacking sound again and I notice that someone's throwing rocks at my window. I slowly look out the window to see Luke wandering around and picking up what must be the pebbles he's throwing. I grab a jacket and some sweatpants and head downstairs. My whole house is asleep so I quietly sneak outside the front door.

I come around the side of the house to find Luke still throwing rocks. "Luke, stop that before you break my window and wake up the whole house!" I whisper loudly.

"Hey, Vissa!" He drops the rocks in his hand and walks over to me. "Sorry if I woke you up." He looks at my attire and I just shrug it off. He's seen me at my worst. This was nothing.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him.

"Well, I found something I thought you should see! I was out walking around because I couldn't sleep so I came across a bunch of fireflies around Caramel Falls. I thought it was so awesome I had to show someone. You popped into my head first. So here I am." He smiles and waits for my response.

With sleep still holding onto me, I just stare at him. "Luke, what time is it?" I ask.

"I don't know. Probably after midnight." He smiles at me like it's normal to be up this late. That's Luke for ya.

"Okay I'll go see these fireflies but after I want to be back in my bed." He jumps in happiness and starts running off towards the River district. I slowly follow him and he turns around halfway there to wait for me.

"Lovissa, at this rate they'll be gone by the time we get there!" He says impatiently.

"Sorry, but I'm too tired to run." I yawn and stretch my body out to prove my point.

"No worries! I'll just carry you!"

"What?" Before I can reject his offer he picks me up and sets me on his back and wraps his arms around my legs, piggyback style. I hold onto his shoulders as he jogs over to Caramel Falls.

We arrive in what felt like seconds and Luke slowly sets me down. My eyes drift over to the Falls and I see what he was so excited about. Little dots of white light were floating around the waterfall and I couldn't help but walk closer.

"Wow, Luke. You weren't kidding. This is incredible." Fireflies usually show up every now and then, but most of the time no one's around to see them. This was probably my third time seeing them since I've lived here.

"I know right? Are you glad I came to show you now?" He rests one arm around my shoulder and pulls me close to him. I put my own arm around his waist and lay my head on his shoulder and we watch the fireflies dance around in the air.

I start to feel tired again and Luke carries me back home. I kiss him on the cheek and tell him thank you for showing me the fireflies. He waves goodbye and I open the door to my house and slowly walk in. I start to head up the stairs when a soft knock comes from the door.

I open it to see Luke standing there. "Hm?" I manage to say even though I'm close to collapsing.

"Vissa, will you, be my girlfriend? I know you kinda are already, but I want it to be official. I wanted to ask you earlier, but I got too nervous." I can tell he's telling the truth because his whole face is a light pink, even in the moonlight.

"Of course, Luke. I'd love to." I smile at him.

"Awesome!" He says loudly.

"LUKE! Shush!" I lean in and kiss him to make him quiet down which thankfully worked.

"I love kissing you. It's weird but I like it!" He whispers.

"Same. I really gotta get some sleep. I'm gonna pass out." I admit, hating to ruin the moment.

"Oh yea. Sorry. Bye.. um.. Girlfriend." I laugh at how cute he can be even though he's totally clueless.

"Luke, you can still call me Vissa. I don't need a special name."

"Oh, okay. Bye Vissa. See you tomorrow." He waves and I give a small wave before closing the door and heading off to bed.


	11. Birthday!

Chapter 11

Luke, Dale, and Bo have been busy the past few weeks. Luke comes to see me every lunch break he gets and whenever they're done working on whatever it is they are working on. I really hope he's off on my birthday next week. I'll be turning 18 and was hoping to spend the day with him and my family. I'm not into parties but rather just spending time with my closest friends. I invited Kathy and Owen, Toby for Renee, plus we were kind of friends, and Luke, which I even asked Bo to come because he usually is left out.

Luke asked Dale if he could have the day off, but Dale only said he'd think about it. Knowing Dale, he'd probably let Luke off early enough to come hang out. Dale kinda caught on that we were together but didn't really seem to care about it. I guess he kinda figured it'd happen eventually. When I told Kathy about it she was over joyous for me and started joking about marriage. I told her to shut up and threw my pillow at her. She just laughed even harder and ignored how red I was turning. She thought it was cute, the two of us finally together. She felt bad about the whole Chase thing but told me that he finally tried being nicer to Maya, so he was making some progress.

Owen and her were going strong and she was hoping he'd pop the question soon. I told her to be patient and not rush in. Owen will ask when he's ready. She started talking about how he got her a necklace that had her birthstone on it with a gold K engraved. I almost freaked out when she showed it to me.

"He said he found the ruby down in the mines one day and he knew it was my birthstone. He then asked Mira to make a necklace for me. I was so surprised when he handed me the velvet box. I almost thought I was going to pass out, it was so beautiful." Her fingers start playing with the necklace and she starts daydreaming about the event. I just smile at her happiness and wonder if Luke would do something like that for me.

Later in the week Luke finally told me that he had the best birthday gift for me and he couldn't wait to show me. He said Dale told him he could have the day off for my birthday and I was so happy. Fall was coming close and I was starting to get more excited for my birthday.

My birthday came before I knew it and I was wearing my favorite outfit. I had on a blue t-shirt with a gray hoodie over it just in case I got cold. I had on jean pants with white sneakers. I left my hair down because I got plenty of compliments when I had it this way. My guests arrived around 1 in the afternoon. Luke was third to arrive, after Kathy and Owen, and he eyed me up and down.

"You look hot." He told me. I giggled and gave him a hug and a quick kiss. Once all the guests arrived, my father told me that he had a surprise for me. The big group of us followed my father down to the river area and down to my favorite spot.

I noticed in the distance there was a small house with a light blue roof planted on the plot of land. "Happy birthday, Lovissa!" Everyone says. I turn to look at my father who smiles at me and gestures for me to go take a look. I run over and notice a mailbox that has my name on the side painted in gold. "Is-Is this my house?" I say eagerly.

"Your mother and I figured since you're 18 you would want your own place to stay. Or at least have a small place for you to hang out at if you don't want to leave home yet." I run over and give my father a huge hug. "Thanks, Daddy!" I kiss his cheek and hug him again.

"I don't deserve all the thanks. Luke, here, was the one who came up with the spot. He overheard me telling Dale about wanting a house and told us that you were in love with this spot so I had them build you a small house here." I turn to look at Luke who has a huge smile planted on his face. I run over and jump into his arms and give him a big, long kiss.

"Thank you, Luke!" I say holding him tighter.

"You're welcome Lovissa." He holds on tighter too.

After admiring my house from the outside. We all enter to find my house decorated with birthday accessories. A banner with my name on it hangs off the wall near my new bed. A huge cake rests on the table and my mother walks out of the kitchen with a huge bowl of fruits. We all sit around the table and talk for hours. I open gifts from everyone and Kathy and Owen both pitched in to give me a necklace with a gold L engraved with small diamonds. "I love it so much! Thank you guys!" I tell them. Toby got me a new fishing rod and Renee made me a quilt with sunflowers all over. My sister knew I loved sunflowers and I gave her a big hug in thanks. Bo and Dale showed up later to see how I liked the house. I gave each of them a huge hug and a thank you for the amazing house.

Everyone said their goodbyes and started to leave around 7. I thanked everyone again and all that was left was Kathy, Owen, Luke, and I. Kathy and Owen decided to give Luke and I some time alone so they went off on a walk together. Luke wandered around the house while I cleaned up what was left on the table. He noticed and began helping me out. When the house was clean enough, we both took a seat on the new cream colored couch. I laid my head on his shoulder and he laid his head on mine.

"That was some party." He says. I laugh and sit up and kiss him. "Wow, what was that for?" He asks smiling.

"For being the bestest guy I know. I can't believe that you told our dad's about this place and now I have my own house. "I kiss him again and he gladly kisses back. We kiss for about a few minutes until he remembers that they installed cable to the small TV set in front of the couch. He turns it on and we watch the animal channel. It becomes late and he tells me he has to go home. I kiss him goodbye and he promises that he'll see me when he gets a chance. I wave him off and close the door. I lay my back against it, smiling like a crazy person. So this is what love feels like. It's weird how I used to not care about love, but now I was in love with my best friend. And I'm okay with that.


	12. A Storm

Chapter 12

Every chance we had, Luke and I would always meet up in front of the Blacksmith's and walk down to my small, but cozy, new home. We would talk like normal, with an additional kiss here and there. We'd go for walks, I'd watch Luke try to catch more fish, and I'd laugh every time he fell into the water.

We were inseperable. Kathy would come over and we'd talk about how much we loved our boyfriends. I honestly liked having something in common with Kathy besides a love for horses. Which reminds me, I have to find a way to bring Blue down to my new house. I begged my father to let me have him as my own and he said finally complied and said yes. The barn wouldn't be built for a while, due to the cosntant storms and crazy wheather changes, the carpentry stuck to small constructions.

Luke and I were out wanding around Gelato Mountain. He told me that there he once fought a bear while exploring this place. I couldn't help but laugh at how rediculous the story sounded. We were probably a mile up the mountain when I started to feel small raindrops hit my face. "Looks like a storm is approaching."I say, looking up into the dark sky.

We both start to head down towards my house, the only close shelter around, when the clouds open up and it starts pouring. We see my house off in the distance and sprint, our feet making sloshing sounds when they come in contact with the muddy earth. I quickly unlock my door and we both scramble inside. Both of us soaking wet.

"Looks like this storm's going to last a while." Luke says standing by the door, his wet bangs hanging in his face. I can't help but lose my breathe at the site. He looks so cute like that. He takes off his bandana and hangs it on my coat hanger to dry. He flips his head to the side, his wet bangs sticking to his forehead.

I giggle at his annoyed facial expression. "What, Vissa?" He says innocently.

"Nothing." I lie.

"Anyways, I don't know about you but I am soaked through to the bone. Got any towels?" He says. I stare at him for a minute, until I process what he said. Towels. Towels. Towels! Yes I have those! "One sec!" I run over to the bathroom and I grab two towels that seem clean enough for us to use. "Here!" I hand him the light blue one and I keep the white one for myself.

I lean down to wrap my hair up in my towel, only to lift my head back up to see a shirtless Luke. I watch his biceps flex as he moves his arms, towel in hand, over his body to dry it off. I suddenly forget I'm cold, and continue to stare at his amazing body. His pecks aren't too large, but are still defined. My eyes venture lower, to his abdomen, which doesn't let me down. He has abs, six to be exact, poking out under his tan skin. My body screams, wanting to hold myself against them. Luke glances at me and smirks the widest smile at me. "You like what you see?" He says with a white grin.

"Tch, I've seen better." I say stupidly. This only makes him smile more. He walks over to me, causing me to back up into a wall. "Seen better, huh?" He says to me in a hushed tone, his face inches from mine. Even when soaked by rain, the smell of pine and sawdust fill my nose as his body presses closer to mine. I shiver in excitement and also because I'm still in my wet clothes. Luke notices and leans even closer to me.

"Let me help you out of those wet clothes." The way he says it, so calmly, makes my heart beat rapidly. I close my eyes as I feel his warm fingers sliding under my wet t-shirt, slowly lifting it off my cold chest. I'm left standing in my bra, still pressed up against a wall. His hands venture to my back where my bra clasp awaits. He has difficulty with it at first, but eventually he figures it out and I quickly cover my breasts with my arms. "Vissa, if it bugs you that bad I can look away." He says sincerely. I know he means it, he wouldn't want to make me feel uncomfortable. It's not that I feel uncomfortable, I'm just nervous of what he'll think of me. I've never shown anyone, especially a boy, my body before. Not like this.

"It's not that.. it's.."I can't figure out how to say it to him. Am I scared of being alone with him like this, or should I trust him. I do care for him a lot, and this is something I've always wanted to do. "Vissa, it's okay. We don't have to do anything. If you don't want to."

"I do want to, with you only Luke. I have wanted to, for a long time!" I squeal out. I clasp a hand over my mouth at what I've just said, Luke just smiles and leans closer to my face, his lips an inch away from mine. "So have I, Vissa. I've always thought about it, but brushed it away, thinking it would never happen. But I kept hoping, maybe, just maybe it would, ya know?"

"Luke... I love you, so much." I look up into his amber eyes and they gaze back into mine.

"I love you too, Lovissa." He leans in and kisses me gently. "You're cute when you're nervous. I've always liked that most about you." I rest both my hands on his chest as he leans in closer to my body. It feels so warm against my bare skin. Lightning flashes through the house, but I don't let it bother me. We start kissing again and his hands start exploring my body. My right hand wanders up to his wet hair, pushing back his bangs. I feel him smile a bit into the kiss as he unbuttons my pants. They slide down onto the floor. I break out of the kiss and Luke looks at me with a hint of sadness on his face. "I don't want wet clothes lying on the floor. It's bad for the wood flooring." I don't bother to look at him as I say this. I hear him mumble something like, "I'm a carpenter, I know more about wood floors than you", but I ignore it. I grab a few hangers from the closet and hand a few to Luke. We hang up our dry clothes in the bathroom and I finally remember that I'm in nothing but my underwear.

I feel myself turn red and I hope Luke forgot all about what we were doing earlier. I turn around to find Luke in his boxers staring out the window. "I hope pops doesn't get too worried. As soon as the electricity comes back on I'll have to call him." He turns around and the smug grin returns to his face. That Luke, he can forget what day it is, but he can never forget a kiss. He pats over to me and I turn around to teasingly get away from him.

I feel his muscled arms wrap around my waist and he lifts me up, one of his arms holding up my legs, carrying me bridal style. He carries me over to my bed and sets me down against the soft sheets. My body shivers at the soft touch against my skin. Luke sits down across from me on my bed and leans in to kiss me. My right hand rests on his left bicep. He slowly pushes me further down onto the bed, never breaking the kiss. I can feel my heart racing, going 70 miles per hour. I don't care about a stupid storm anymore. I don't care about Selena or Chase anymore. It's all about me and Luke.

He pulls out of the kiss but his lips go down my neck, down to my abdomen, right above my underwear. I close my eyes as he kisses there, his rough, yet gentle lips rub my soft skin. His hands begin pulling down my panties, I don't even move a muscle. I'm nervous, yet excited. It's finally happening. The dream I've always dreamt of is finally reality.

Luke sits up, taking off his boxers. I close my eyes, nervous that if I see, I'll back down, or laugh due to nervousness. I can't ruin this moment for us. "Lovissa. It's okay. You don't have to be scared. It will hurt a little, but you'll feel amazing in only a matter of seconds." His voice calms me, and his hand finds mine. I put my fingers between his, and he kisses me. My eyes open to find his watching mine. He smiles and I smile up at him. "You ready? I've never done this before, but I think I know what I'm doing." He scratches his head and chuckles, something he always does when he's nervous. I nod, showing I am ready. His head leans in closer to mine and I look up at the ceiling, waiting.

Pain shoots through my legs and I bite my lip to keep from crying out. I close my eyes and try to imagine happy things, until the pain goes away. Luke's breathing starts to get heavy and so does mine. I open my eyes for a split second, only to close them again. My body feels amazing. A small sound escapes my mouth. _Did I just.. moan?_ I start to giggle and Luke must've heard because he stops. "Did I do something funny? Am I doing it wrong?" He sits up and looks down at me. I shake my head, still laughing. "No, Luke, I was just surprised I.. moaned." He smiles in relief down at me and I can't help but giggle more. "For a second I thought you were laughing because I was doing this wrong." He joins in with his own laughter and we totally forget what we were doing. He rolls over to the side of me and props up on his elbow, his free hand rests on my belly.

"Has anyone ever told you you're beautiful?" He says to me.

"Only my mom and dad."

"Well, I'll be the first then." He leans in and nuzzles my neck. I laugh as my arm wraps around his neck. He lays his head next to mine and our bodies are pressed together. I find a strand of his hair and begin fiddling with it. "Luke." I finally spit out after a long silence.

"Yes?" he says softly in my ear.

"Have you ever been in love with someone?" I say. I don't know why I'm asking him this. Or where the question even came from.

"I have actually. For probably 10 years now. She's the most amazing girl. She cooks, even though she still has some practicing to do. She loves to go on walks, usually with me. Hm, oh yea, she also knows how to use an axe, which I taught her how, of course. And-"

I put my lips up to his to make him stop talking. He smiles and wraps his arms around me and pulls me closer to him. "Lovissa, I promise, I will never let anything bad ever happen to you. If I so much as hurt you in anyway, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. I know it's taken me this long to finally say this. To really say this. But no matter what, you are my best friend, my girlfriend, and the one girl I want to be with forever." I feel a tear fall from my eye and I brush it away quickly before he sees. "Oh, Luke..Promise me, we'll always have each other. No matter what."

"I promise." He kisses me, this time longer than before. This time we try picking up where we left off. I never knew this is what it felt like to have sex. To be loved. To share such a wonderful experience with someone.

Luke finishes and collapses next to me on my bed. We both snuggle together under my blankets, both of us breathing steady again. I nestle my head on his chest, his arm resting over my shoulder. I close my eyes, going over all that happened tonight. I can't fall asleep, I'm too awake. For once reality is better than my dreams. I listen to Luke's heart beat at an even pace. His breathing shallow and smooth. He's fallen asleep. He must be tired from all that has happened. I find his hand, and entwine my fingers with his. I close my eyes and listen to his steady heartbeat until sleep finally consumes me.


	13. Settling Down

Chapter 13

I wake up the next morning to find that I wasn't dreaming. Luke is still lying next to me. Still sleeping. I sit up and rub my eyes. A peak of sunlight is shining through my purple curtains. I look down at the sleeping Luke, so hard not to kiss. His face is so peaceful. Not a wrinkle in his face. I cave in and kiss his lips softly. I lean back up to watch Luke's eyes flutter open and a smile spread on his face. "Good morning, Beautiful. Not every day a guy wakes up to a gorgeous girl kissing him." He sits up, grabs me and kisses me all over. I struggle to get lose from his grasp but he only holds on tighter. "Luke, stop it!" I giggle. "Last night was awesome!" He says enthusiastically.

"Yea it was. You were awesome.."I blurt out. He laughs but his face turns serious in a matter of seconds. "Crap, I have to call my dad. Where's your phone?" I point over to a small red phone hanging on the wall near my kitchen. I get out of bed, grabbing a blanket to cover my bare body as I follow Luke over to the phone. I can't help but watch his lean, bare body as he makes his way over. I blush, realizing what I'm doing and quickly look for something else to become fascinated with. I walk over to sit on my cream colored couch and start fidgeting with my fingers.

"Hey pops!...Yea I'm fine. I'm at Lovissa's house...She insisted I stayed here for the night because of how bad the storm was. I was going to call you once the electricity came back...I know. I'll be there in a bit. See ya." Luke hangs up the phone and hurriedly looks for his clothes. "Where are my pants?" He says, a look of worry on his face. "Pops wants me home now!" He looks over at me and I point my finger towards the bathroom. "Oh, right! I forgot! What would I do without you?" He walks over to the bathroom, pulling up his boxers in the process. I start laughing when he starts grabbing the wall for support so he doesn't fall over, causing me to collapse on the couch behind me. I hear Luke coming out of the bathroom,and I look over to see him all dressed, buckling his belt. "Well my pants feel weird, but I'm sure they'll loosen up once I get to work. I think I'm all set." He smiles at me and I open my mouth to say, "Missing something, hun?" I raise my hand to point at my head. He puts his hand on his head and realization appears on his face. He turns around to find his now dry bandana hanging on the coat rack.

He puts it on and walks over to me. "I'll come by to see you later tonight once works done." He kisses me on the cheek and without any more words he's out the door.

I watch television for a while but end up taking a short nap on the comfy couch. I wake up around 2 in the afternoon and find some clean clothes to cover myself with. The bed is a mess, so I attempt to make it look nice. Nothing happened here. I go into the bathroom to grab my dry clothes and toss them into a small hamper my parents left for me. I have no laundry room so I guess I'm stuck washing my clothes manually. That'd be fun.

I make myself some toast with jelly on them for a small lunch/snack and begin my day by going home and grabbing a few of my belongings to make my new residence feel like home. I start by grabbing the easiest: books, clothes, and stuffed animals. I place them all in plastic garbage bags and tie the ends together to keep them from falling out. I drag the bags halfway through Ganache Mine District when I run into Owen and he offers to help me out. I accept and we both carry bags of my belongings to my small cottage.

"This place is actually pretty cozy." He stands in the middle of my house and I offer him some lemonade that I found sitting in my small fridge. We drink lemonade for a bit and I almost spit mine out when I notice my underwear is on the floor near my bed where Luke left it. I rack my brain for an excuse to get Owen out of my house or to distract him long enough to move my panties from sight. He has his back facing me, his face towards my kitchen. I sneak over towards the area my panties are lying and give them a small kick to hide them under the bed. It works and Owen turns around to look at me. He doesn't seem to notice what I'm doing. "I gotta go. Kathy and I have plans this afternoon. Sorry I can't help much today." He says.

"Oh, no. You helped a great ton. I don't have much else to bring down here besides my bookshelf. Thank you so much for your help earlier today, though." I smile at him and he says goodbye and heads off towards town. To pass the time I start organizing my closet with all my clothes. Color coding them. I feel weird doing this but it's something to do. In all honesty, I really started missing Luke. I couldn't wait to see him again, hopefully tonight. I put all my books on my kitchen table and my stuffed animals on my bed.

I decide to watch tv while I eat some dinner, which was pretty basic. Mac 'n' cheese. I loved this stuff ever since I was little. I finish eating and I hear a knock on my door. I set my bowl down and head over to open the door. Luke greets me with a hug and a wet kiss. "I missed you today. All I could do was think about you while I was working. My old man got on my case a couple of times because I kept dropping boards all over the place." He starts laughing and shrugs it off and kisses me again.

"What have you done today?" He asks, walking into my living room.

"Not much. Brought some things over from home." I said.

"I see that." He takes off his shoes and leaps onto my bed, causing all my stuffed animals to toss around. "Luke, stop that! I just lined them up neatly this afternoon!"

"I'm sorry." He reaches for my stuffed horse and examines it for a while. "Didn't I win this for you at a festival a long time ago?" He asks.

"I think you did. It keeps me safe at night." I admitted. I honestly loved that stuffed horse. Luke and I had just become friends when the Children's Festival came to town and I saw the stuffed horse at a throwing booth. I tried so many times but couldn't knock over the target. Luke said he'd win for me and he actually hit the target his first try. Ever since I had that horse with me as a token of our friendship.

"You've had it all these years. Wow, I almost forgot about it." He sets the horse back down and sits on the edge of my bed. I sit next to him, placing my hand on his leg. His hand rests ontop of mine and he leans down to kiss me. The kissing starts to get heavy and my hands start to lift up Luke's shirt. Luke pulls out of the kiss, but he's smiling. "What about your little friends?" He asks teasingly.

"Oh they won't mind. They can cover their eyes." I begin kissing him again. I feel his tongue slide into my mouth but I don't care. We keep kissing and I start gently biting his lip. I hear him groan softly and I pull myself up onto his lap. His hands find my butt and hold it while my hands grip his face, pulling it closer to mine. The phone begins ringing but neither of us want to stop. I let the phone ring a few times before answering it. Luke holds onto my waist and kisses my neck. I answer the phone, trying hard not to giggle. "Hello?" I say.

"Hey, Lovissa. It's Chase."

"Hehe, Hi Chase." I giggle, trying hard to be serious. Luke stops kissing my neck and stares at the phone. "What does he want?" he mouths. I shrug at him and continue with my phone call.

"What's up?" I ask.

"I called to say I'm sorry I didn't get you anything for your birthday. The restraunt was busy and I totally forgot until I noticed the date today. So I wanted to ask you to come to the Inn tomorrow because I made you a cake." From the pitch of his voice, he really wants me to go. I havn't really talked to him for a while. I cover the bottom of the phone and look at Luke. He's staring at me wondering what's going on. "He wants me to go over to the Inn tomorrow because he made me a birthday cake." I whisper.

"If you go, I'm going with you." He says firmly.

"It's just Chase. He's not going to do anything." I tell him.

"Still, I think he still has the hots for you. I don't trust him." He crosses his chest with his arms.

"Hello? Lovissa, are you still there?" I hear Chase's voice and remember he's on the phone.

"Yes, sorry I'd love to come over tomorrow." I loved cake, and I bet Chase's cake was the best around. "Okay come over whenever. I'll be waiting." *click* He hung up. I put the phone back on the rack, and face a unpleasant Luke.

"Why'd you agree to go?" He whines.

"Because he made me a cake and I love cake. It's good." I pat my tummy to show how much I love it.

"I swear, if he puts any moves on you, I'm going to teach him a lesson." Luke raises his fist in the air, punching the air over and over again.

"Luke, calm down. If something seems weird, I'll leave. I won't be alone, Yolanda and Maya are usually in the kitchen, so I'm sure he won't try doing anything." I rest my hand on his back and move it around sofly, hoping to calm him down a bit.

"Okay." He mutters.

I kiss his cheek gently. "Where were we?" I smirk and he glances up at me, a smirk also on his face. He lifts me up and onto the bed, continueing where we left off.


	14. Brawl in the Bar

Chapter 14

I wake up to the knocking on my door. I groggily get out of bed and head towards the door.

"Hello?" I mumble a little grumpily.

"Sora! I thought I'd come over and we can hang out for a bit then head to the Inn for some lunch! I heard the Tailor's getting a new order of clothes this afternoon so we should totally head there later!" Kathy happily barges into my house and walks over to my closet and rummages through my clothes.

"Good morning to you too. What time is it?" My eyes focus in and out as I gaze at the clock. It's only seven-thirty. "Kathy, why did you come over here so early." I've been sorta lazy since I moved out of my parents and got a steady boyfriend. I take care of the animals around 9am, so this is a little early for me.

"I had to wake you up so I can get you dressed up all nice and all that. Plus we need some girl time. Ever since you got your own place and boyfriend we barely hang out anymore!" She pouts and tosses me a white frilly shirt and a pair of jean shorts.

"I guess you're right." I head towards the bathroom and change into my clothes Kathy picked out for me. The telephone rings and I quickly answer it before Kathy does. It's my parents checking up on me and seeing how I've been doing. It's funny they call to ask when they can just walk down here and see for themselves. I say goodbye to my folks and hang up the phone. A piece of sticky paper sticks to the wall and a small scribbled note brings dissatisfaction to my face. "I forgot. Chase wanted to meet up with me today. He said something about a birthday cake."

Kathy frowns but suddenly lights up. "I can go with you. Since we're heading there for lunch anyways, we can both have a piece of birthday cake!" She happily dances around the room and plops onto my couch.

"Someone took their yearly intake of sugar today." I joke. I plop down next to her and she turns on the tv and flips through the channels. We watch a few soap operas and laugh over how ridiculous the acting and drama is. It nears noon and Kathy and I prepare for our lunch 'date' with Chase and a birthday cake. Luke isn't around; otherwise he'd end up forcing his own invitation. I sigh in relief that this won't turn out to be my own soap opera with Chase and Luke fighting over silly things.

Kathy holds the door open for me and I calmly step inside. Maya finds us a table and hurries off to the kitchen to tell Chase I've arrived. He follows Maya towards us but doesn't seem too happy to see I've brought a guest.

"Hiya, Chase! Lovissa told me you made her a birthday cake. I thought I'd help eat it." Kathy beams.

"I'll go get the cake then. It'll be a few minutes." Chase puts on a fake smile and Maya follows him back into the kitchen.

"Kathy, is it just me or is that man sitting at that table staring at us." I whisper. I move my eyes in the direction of the man in a dark trench coat and a top hat sitting in a table near the back of the restaurant. Kathy tries to follow my gaze without letting the man know she's looking at him.

"You're right. I've never seen that guy before. He probably can't stop looking at us since we're so beautiful." She giggles and I roll my eyes. Something about that man seems familiar but I can't put my finger on it.

Chase and Maya return with a fairly small sized chocolate cake with blue icing on the top. White icing spells out my name and candles outline the edge of the cake.

"Happy Birthday, Lovissa." Chase and Maya sing.

"It looks amazing, Chase! I can't wait to taste it." I stand up and give him a huge hug.

"I didn't know whether you liked chocolate or vanilla so I added both types of ice cream inside." He slices the cake into pieces and sets them on our plates. All four of us take a bite of the cake simultaneously. Kathy is the first to let out a happy sigh.

We sit and visit for a while before customers start showing up and Maya takes off to greet them. Kathy excuses herself to use the restroom and I'm left alone with Chase.

"Finally, we're alone." Chase mutters. "I've wanted to tell you something. I'm sorry for the way I acted on the phone when you rejected me. I want to try again."

I blink and my mouth gapes open like a fish's. Chase doesn't know I'm with Luke yet? He still wants to try to date me? He really was busy at work.

"Chase, um…" How do I turn him down nicely.

"It's okay." I feel his hand touch my thigh. It's surprisingly cold. Chills run down my spine and I know I need to do something fast.

His hand slides up my thigh and he scoots closer. I don't want to be rude but I inch my way farther away from him but he doesn't get the hint. "Chase, I have a boyfriend." I finally muster to say.

He stares at me for a minute and smiles. "I know." He leans in quickly and kisses me. I sit frozen in my seat, unable to do anything. What am I doing?

I move my hand, ready to slap him, but his free hand grabs it and pulls me closer to him. I wiggle around, wondering why no one is doing anything.

"Get off of her!" An angry deep voice echoes through the room and Chase is flung backwards and lands on the floor. I stand up and stare at the remains of a trench coat and hat on the floor.

"Don't you ever touch her again! I knew I couldn't trust you." Luke is straddle over Chase with his shirt collar firmly grasped in his hand.

"Luke, don't hurt him!" I run over and try to grab my boyfriend off the chef. Luke lowers his hand but doesn't let go of Chase's shirt. Chase stares at Luke, a smile planted on his face.

"Why are you smiling?" Luke rages.

Chase doesn't say anything. Instead he spits and it lands right in Luke's face. Luke raises his hand and punches Chase right in the nose and a bunch of people come over to pull Luke off of the broken nosed Chase.

"Let go of me. I'm not finished yet!" Luke struggles in the arms of customers and even Jake. Maya and Colleen tend to Chase who doesn't seem to care his nose is bleeding.

I honestly don't know what to do. I'm happy Luke was there and helped me in my situation but he didn't need to punch Chase like that, even if he deserved it.

The guys let go of Luke, who quickly rubs the spit off his face. I want to reach out for him but I'm scared. I've never seen Luke so angry before. He's usually a shrug it off kind of guy.

Luke looks at me but his eyes show that he's sorry for what he did. "Let's talk outside." I say. Jake tells Luke he's not welcome in the Inn for a while and Chase wasn't getting off the hook either. They both acted like morons and Luke's father would hear about his behavior.

Luke follows me towards the boat dock and sits next to me at the edge. "I'm sorry. You told me not to hurt him, but I did it anyways." He holds the hand he used to punch Chase and sighs. His knuckles look a little red from the impact.

"He did deserve it though. I didn't think he'd sink as low as spitting on you." I reach out my hand and grab his. I gently kiss his knuckles, one after another. "Thank you for being there. I knew there was something odd about the trench coat and hat disguise."

"I told you I had to go with you. I knew he'd try something. I saw you try to defend yourself and the fact he stopped you set me off. I hated seeing him kiss you, let alone sit near you. I really hate that guy." Luke angrily throws his arms into the air to prove it.

"I think he learned his lesson. He looked a little surprised when you broke his nose. Even if he knew you'd retaliate if he did something." I rest my hand on his leg and my head leans against his shoulder.

"I can't believe I have Chase DNA on my face. I need a shower." Luke rubs the back of his hand over his face hoping to remove any spit left on it.

"I know a place you can shower." I wink and it takes him a while to realize.

"I'd love to." He eagerly stands up and helps me up. He kisses me before we run off towards my house.


	15. In Sickness and in Death

Chapter 15

There's warmth against my back and I rub my eyes as they refuse to open. I reach out and snuggle against my pillow, which has someone else's hand resting on it. Luke is pressed up against my back, his arms spread out over me in a weak protective manner. I poke his face and he wrinkles his nose. I poke his face again this time his eyes open.

"Good morning…" He stretches his arms out before grasping them around me.

"Good morning." I kiss his forehead and he tightens his grip. We lay together, completely naked except for the bed sheets that cover both of us. I bury my face against his warm chest, the cool morning air giving me goosebumps.

He kisses the top of my head before releasing his grip and getting out of the bed. "I should probably head home.. I hate leaving you but you know my pops. Work, Work, work. " He shrugs and begins gathering his clothes.

I step outta bed but stumble over to a nearby chair and hold on.

"Hey, you okay?" Luke drops his clothes and rushes over towards me. He presses his arms gently on my shoulders and looks into my eyes with his concerned ones.

"Yeah, just lightheaded. Last night must have tired me out." I joke. I try to stand up tall but nausea overtakes me and I rush into the bathroom. Luke stands at the doorway, worried lines cover his face. I dry heave for a while and slump against the toilet not wanting to move just in case it happens again.

"I'm taking you to the clinic." He rushes over to me and lifts me up but I push against him, holding my head in my palm.

"No, I'm fine. I just need to rest today. I think I'm sick or something. You should be careful. I don't want you catching what I have."

"But you were just fine when we woke up. I'm worried, Vissa." He sits next to me and pushes some loose hair strands out of my face. My body's shaking and I hold onto the toilet seat, ready for my body to reject whatever virus I have. Luckily nothing comes up.

"Let me at least carry you to the bed.. Maybe pops will let me stay here and take care of you." Luke shifts back and forth in the doorway, looking extremely worried.

"Okay. " I hold up my arms weakily and he scoops me up and carries me over to my bed and tucks me in. He's still half naked, walking around in his boxers and pants. He grabs me a glass of water and tells me to drink it. He trips over his boots as he goes to the phone and calls his father.

He discusses my situation with his father and seems pleased to find out he's allowed to comfort me in my time of need. He hangs up the phone and sits on the side of the bed and presses his hand against my forehead.

"You don't feel hot or cold.. You seem normal. Maybe you just have bad food poisoning."

"I bet it was Chase's cake. He poisoned it as revenge for not dating him." I tease.

"Now I have a good excuse to strangle him." Luke jokingly punches his fist into his palm. He lays next to me, his jeans rubbing me, but I try not to let it bother me.

"You shouldn't lay with me, you know. Just in case it isn't food poisoning."

"Like I give a damn. Gives you a reason to take care of me then." He winks and nuzzles my neck. I snuggle closer to him and close my eyes, hoping to fall asleep and make my sickness go away faster.

I wake up and Luke is fully dressed sitting on the couch. I can't see what he's watching but I can hear a deep voiced man talking to an interviewer. I slowly sit up in the bed and rub my eyes. What time is it?

"You feeling better?" Luke turns off the tv and is quickly beside me, ready to assist.

"I think so. Let me try to walk around. Be prepared to catch me if I fall." I slowly stick a leg out at a time and press them against the smooth wood flooring. Luke helps me stand up and I feel perfectly fine.

I walk around and continue to test my limits. I start to skip and then break into a full jump. "I feel great!" I run over and twirl around him before resting against him.

"Well, you sure seem to be. I guess it was just a temporary bug." He kisses me and hugs me before reporting back home.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Luke." I wave from my porch as he slowly walks away towards the forest.

"Oh, wait, Vissa." He stops and spins around and runs back towards me. "I forgot. My dad's going away with Bo for a trip. I already went last year and he decided to take Bo. So you should totally come over and hang with me." He finishes with a wide smile on his face.

"I'd love to." I say. I've been to Luke's house plenty of times, but for some reason I'm excited and it feels as though this time will be so much different. "I'm surprised your dad thinks it's okay to leave you alone." I joke.

"That's not cool. I can be responsible and trustworthy." He stands with his hands on his hips and his nose held high, trying to prove his point.

I walk over and poke him, causing him to twitch slightly. "Okay. If you say so."

"If you're gunna be like that then you might as well stay home all by yourself." He crosses his arms and turns around.

"But won't you be alone too?"

"Good point… Just come over okay? I don't care when." He kisses me before walking away with his hands stuffed into his back pockets.

I bite my bottom lip as I watch him scoot along the dirt road towards his house, the very same place I'll be spending time with Luke.


	16. What's Going On?

Chapter 16

Kathy eagerly barges into my house and demands I go shopping with her. "They're having a sale on almost everything today. I don't want to miss it." She pulls off my covers and throws some clothes at me. I get dressed quickly, not wanting to piss her off, and follow her towards the store. The motion of moving so fast is making my stomach feel nauseous again and I try all I can to keep myself under control.

I tug on Kathy's arm and she stops and looks at me as I lean over the side of the road.

"Lovissa? Are you okay? You look a little pale." She holds back my hair as I vomit into the grass.

"I was sick yesterday but I thought it was just food poisoning. I felt fine last night." I wipe my mouth and cling to my knees, trying to compose myself and catch my breath.

"I think we should go see Jin. I think it's something serious." Kathy holds onto me frantically.

"I think I just need to rest for a bit. I'll be fine. I promise" I lean against a stray fencepost and try to calm Kathy down.

"Well we can take our time getting to the store, and if you feel any worse, we can stop by the clinic." She starts to walk towards the town and I follow her, no longer feeling as nauseous.

Inside the store, clothes of all colors are spread out amongst different types of shelves. Shoes, hair accessories, dresses, socks, and bikini's line the walls and shirts and pants takes up the middle sections.

I pick out a few tops and bikinis to try on and Kathy eagerly throws a bunch of dresses towards me, implying that I need to try on some. I put on a light blue and black striped bikini and step out of the dressing room to show off to Kathy.

"I love it! You should totally get it! I bet Luke would agree." She winks and heads into one of the dressing rooms to try on her mountain of clothes.

"I think you should try on something else, hun." A voice comes from behind me and I turn around to find it belonging to Luna. Oh joy.

"And why is that, Luna?" I ask, looking at myself in the mirror.

"Because it doesn't hide that hideous fat you have there." She pokes her finger at a small pudge on my tummy.

"I'm sorry I'm not an unhealthy skinny girl for your tastes. I'm happy with the way I look in this and I'm buying it." I head back into the changing room and change out of my clothes. I look down at my tummy and poke the pudge. It's not that noticeable is it? I change into my other clothing selections and Kathy gives her advice and of course I look good in everything. I decided to buy the bikini and a few pairs of shorts and tanks, and Shelly happily rings us up.

As we leave the store I decide to ask Kathy what she thinks. "Hey, Kathy. You don't think I'm pudgy, do you?"

"Heck no. You're super skinny. You're not that curvy but you're sexy in a different way. Plus you got nice boobs, so that helps too." She casually continues walking and talks about all the things Owen likes about her body and finally asks why I brought it up.

"Well, when I was trying on the bikini, Luna pointed out that I'm too pudgy for it."

"Don't listen to her. She's just a crude brat. Only person who should care about who looks good in it is you. If you like it, then that's that."

"I guess you're right." I give her a small one armed hug. "Thanks for being my bestie." She hugs me back tight and I push away, holding my head.

"Are you feeling sick again?" She asks.

"I'm fine, just a little woozie. I should head back. I have to go to Luke's tonight anyways so I won't be alone if anything goes wrong." I reassure her.

"I'll go with you. I don't want something to happen to you on the way there." She links her elbow with mine and we walk carefully back to my house.

I toss my new bags of clothes on the bed and grab a few and put them in a rucksack for tomorrow. I grab all the things I need and Kathy happily escorts me to Luke's.

She knocks on the door and I stand up, feeling a little less woozie. Luke opens the door and looks at Kathy, wondering what's going on.

"Lovissa isn't feeling all too well so I thought I'd help her get here safely."

"Again? I thought you were okay last night." Luke grabs my shoulders and looks into my eyes.

"I was. I guess it's just the after affects. I was fine when we were shopping." I say truthfully.

"I'm calling Jin." Luke pulls me into the house and Kathy hesitantly follows us inside.

"Luke, I'm fine. I don't need to see him.

"If you're sick tomorrow, we're seeing him first thing. No if's ands or buts." He looks me dead in the eyes and I nod, swallowing loudly.

"I should head home." Kathy says, the tension slowly lifting from the atmosphere.

"I'll look after her for tonight. I'll let you know if anything happens." Luke closes the door after Kathy and she gives a small wave goodbye before the door is shut completely.

I stand in silence while Luke slowly turns and watches me. "Viss, what's going on? I'm getting worried. You were sick yesterday and now you're sick again. You have to see the doctor. It would give me a peace of mind." He runs his hand across his face, which seems to look a little tired.

"I'll be fine. I promise if something happens I'll let you take me to see Jin." I walk over and give him a huge hug. "I love you." I whisper.

He holds me tight and whispers back, " I love you too."


	17. Surprising News

Chapter 17

The night at Luke's was amazing. He prepared dinner for us and we cuddled as we watched a movie. He constantly asked how I was doing and to prove I was okay, I crawled onto his lap to prove it. We ended up in his bedroom late last night and well you can figure the rest out. I woke up feeling sore and tired but not at all lightheaded or nauseous.

Luke's lying on his stomach as he sleeps and I gently get out of his bed and head to the bathroom. I look myself over in the mirror and touch the pudgy spot. It's really tender and I can't help but feel conscious about it. I think it's time I go on a diet or at least do some crunches.

I return to the bedroom and Luke tosses around in the bed. Half of the covers are on his side of the bed and he's completely knocked out. I decide to have a lazy day and fall asleep with him, not caring about the day fading away.

Luke's phone is ringing downstairs and we both wake up.

"I bet that's my dad. I'll be right back." He gets out of bed, completely naked, and heads downstairs.

I put on my new clothes, hoping to start the day off officially new. As of today I will be fit and exercise more often and prove to Luna that one small comment won't get the better of me. I might be trying to change a small part of me, but I think I got pudgy from sleeping around with Luke too much, which I thought sex was good exercise. Oh well, least I'll be even more athletic.

Luke returns letting me know his dad won't be home till tomorrow afternoon, due to a bad storm. He offers me to stay the night again and I gladly accept. He changes into some clothes: A green and black t-shirt and some dark jeans.

It takes all I have to restrain myself from ripping off his clothes. He always looked hot in whatever he had on and my body always reacted in the worst ways. We head out and run into Owen and Kathy who happily asks if we want to go on a double date. Of course they both pester me with questions about my health and I let them know that whatever I had was gone. I cling to Luke as we all walk around towards Inn and settle down to eat some lunch. We head to the beach after and of course I wear my new bikini.

After an eventful day, Luke and I cuddle once again on his couch and he rests his hand on my abdomen and gently rubs his thumb against it.

"Luke, have you ever thought I was pudgy?" I look up into his golden eyes, waiting for his reply.

"Nope. Why? You think you're fat or something? I think your body is perfect, Vissa. Every curve and bump." He kisses my cheek and squeezes my tummy.

"Owch." I wince and Luke release his grip and looks towards me. "I'm really sore there for some reason." I rub my tummy and Luke rests his hand on mine.

"I'm sorry. I'll try to be more careful." He pulls me close to him and I lay my head on his shoulder, my eyelids slowly starting to close.

Luke's dad calls and warns us he's on his way home and we quickly clean up any messes we left and Luke escorts me to the door and kisses me goodbye before his father finds me there.

I rush home and lay on my bed, clutching my pillow. I'm so insanely in love with Luke. It's not even funny. The feelings of his hands cling to my body and the area where he squeezed is still fresh and tender. I decide today should be a good day to exercise and I call Kathy to see if she would be willing to join me.

She accepts and quickly meets up with me near the Lake District for a jog around the area.

"I've been meaning to get into shape but not alone. I'm so glad you called me. I just hope you're not doing this because of what Luna said." She says.

"Partly yes and partly no. I've been meaning to get into shape since I stopped helping out at the farm. Luna can kiss my ass." I laugh and we both start running. My body is slow and groggy from sleeping so much and my lungs burn with each breath I take. I continue to push myself, trying to catch up to Kathy who's a few feet ahead of me. She looks back towards me every now and then to make sure I'm not too far ahead, occasionally yelling out words of encouragement.

My eyes start to blur and I feel my body start to hurt and shake as I push on. I feel my body go light and before I know it, everything's black.

My body hurts and I'm reluctant to open my eyes. Every time I do, bright lights blind me and shades of gray and white surround me. Great. I'm at the clinic.

"Oh good, you've awaken." Jin stands over me, a clipboard in his hand and a few papers resting in his other.

"What happened?" I ask sleepily.

"You passed out." Kathy stands behind Jin, her face covered in worry and dry tears.

"I guess I'm still stick." I sigh and cover my eyes with my arm.

"In some way you are." Jin holds up his clipboard and scribbles on it with a red pen.

Kathy bites her lip, wondering what the doctor has to say.

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order." He beams down at me and I look at him confused. Congratulate me on being sick?

"Huh?" I ask, a little ticked off at his comment.

"You're not exactly sick with a flu of any kind, just the basic morning sickness." He smiles and Kathy drops her jaw.

"Morning sickness?" I ask, still slowly waking up.

"Lovissa, you're pregnant." Kathy chirps. She covers her face with her hands, hiding her excitement.

"Pregnant? Like with a-"

"With a child, yes. That's usually how it goes." Jin finishes for me. He stands up and hands me a paper with what looks to be an ultrasound. "The baby is no larger than a small berry."

I look over the images and see a small white shape in the middle. Kathy looks over the pictures with me and I feel myself to feel woozie again.

"Oh, I bet Luke will be so excited!" Kathy claps her hands and I don't join in. I can't tell Luke. I don't think he's ready for a baby. I don't think either of us is. That's what we get for having sex like rabbits all the time.

"Kathy, please don't tell him or Owen. I want to be the one to tell him. When I feel the time is right, okay? Please understand." I look up at her and I hope she understands how serious I am.

"I do. As long as I can be the godmother."

"Of course. I guess I shouldn't tell my family yet either. Dad's going to throw a fit." I sigh.

"I doubt it. He's known Luke for a long time. I'm sure he'd be happy with him and not someone else." Kathy sits beside me on the bed and Jin leaves the room to give us some privacy.

"Can I touch it?" She holds out her hand and I allow her to press it against my somewhat flat tummy.

"I doubt you can feel it. You can't even tell I'm pregnant." I lean back on my hands and she rubs my tummy like she would her own if she was in my spot.

"I'm really excited. I don't understand why you aren't." She lifts her hand and places it in her lap.

"I don't think we're ready to be parents. Luke's dad would be furious and cut off his head for sure if he finds out."

"I'm sure once he realizes how much Luke loves you and that' he's a grandfather, he'll be thrilled! And you both can live in your new house together and Luke can build you baby things like a crib and shelves."

"I guess you're right. I'll tell him soon. I just want to wait a while and let it register with me first. It still seems unreal to me."

"I understand." Kathy holds me in a quick hug before we both leave the clinic with the surprising news.

"I can't believe I'm going to be a mom." I rest my hand on my tummy just as we leave through the door.


	18. First Fight

Chapter 18

A few days have passed since I found out that I'm expecting and I've been feeling terrible each morning. I haven't let Luke stay with me because I'm not ready to let him know. He's starting leave me alone and doesn't bother me about it anymore, but I know deep down he's worried. Irene brought over a book about what to expect when having a baby and I've read a few bits of it but ended up getting grossed out.

Kathy's been over a lot telling me she wants to have Shelly sew some baby clothes together and that she wants to help me pick out a name. I randomly look at myself in the mirror, noticing nothing much has changed except the knowledge of why I'm so pudgy.

Kathy and I are looking through a magazine full of cute maternity clothes and she's helping choose what would look best on me. I don't think it really matters. Either way I'll end up with a huge beach ball belly hanging out no matter what outfit I wear.

A knock on the door surprises us and Kathy hides the magazine under the couch cushion. I walk over to the door and open it to find Luke standing there.

"I can't stand being away from you. I'm really worried." He hugs me and I don't admit how much I've missed his arms around me.

He looks around and waves when he sees Kathy who doesn't feel the need to leave. She gives me a look letting me know she's there for me and will help me out if things get awkward. He walks over and sits next to her on the couch and I sit beside him. The room's silent for a while before Luke breaks the silence. "So what have you guys been up to?"

"Just looking at clothes and stuff." Kathy responds.

I nod and he shakes his head like he knows something else is up but he's not going to bother with it.

Luke sits there, his hands in his lap and his face facing forward, like he's thinking about something.

Kathy glances at me, her expression letting me know she feels really awkward. I shift my eyes to the door, letting her know it's okay if she leaves. She stands up and takes the opportunity happily. "I'll see you guys later." She hurries out and closes the door with a loud slam.

"I know you two are hiding something from me." Luke says. He doesn't look at me.

"Why do you think that?" I ask, not trying to pretend I'm surprised he knows.

"Well one minute you can't stand to be away from me, and the next you're always with Kathy and don't want me over here. I don't understand. Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's not you. It's just.. I went to the doctor's and-"

"You went? Are you still sick?" He looks at me now and doesn't lose his gaze.

"I passed out while running with Kathy."

"You passed out! Why didn't you tell me?" He stands up and throws his hands in the air, obviously frustrated.

"I didn't' want to upset you, I wan-"

"Upset me? You didn't want to upset me? I was worried sick about you and you hide something this important from me?" His voice rises and I cover my ears and give him a stern look.

"I've had a reason not to tell you because I was waiting for the right time." Cross my arms and look away from him.

"Yeah. You just didn't want to tell me or talk to me. Might as well just tell me if you want to break up. It's a lot easier than worrying about you while you have fun time with your friend."

"You think that's what I want? To break up with you? That never even crossed my mind. I never asked you to worry about me and Kathy's here because she's helping me."

"With what?"

"I can't tell you yet. " I look away and wrap my arms around my tummy.

"If you can't tell me then I guess we can't be honest with each other." He heads towards the door and I feel the tears start to come. I don't want him to go, not with the thoughts in his mind.

"Why can't you just be patient and wait till I feel I'm ready to tell you what's wrong with me?"

"Because I haven't seem you in days and I think that's plenty of time for you to think about telling me." He opens the door and heads out. I run out after him and scream his name.

"What?" He stand facing me a few feet from my porch.

"Don't go." I mutter through tears.

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't."

"Because… "

"Because what? Tell me what's going on, Vissa. Please." He walks over to me and holds my shoulders and squeezes them.

"Because.. Because" Tears start coming out faster and my throat feels choked up.

"What is it?" Luke gently shakes me, his eyes drilling into mine.

"Because I'm pregnant! Okay? You happy now?" I push his hands off me and face him. His jaw is tight and his mouth is a straight line. His eyes are lighter than normal and his face is pale.

"Is it… is it mine?" He mumbles.

I nod. "Who else's could it be." I say bluntly.

"Why were you hiding this from me?"

"Because I was scared to tell you. I'm not ready to be a mother and I don't think you're ready to be a father. I thought I'd just wait until I felt ready and the news settled first."

He closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath. He stands motionless for a few and I feel the tears start to come again. Great, he's angry now.

I turn around to head back into my house when a pair of arms envelope me. Luke's head rests beside mine and his body is shaking a little, that or it's mine.

"You don't have to be scared. I'll be here with you. This is just as much a part of me as it is you. "He tightens his grip on me and I wipe my tears away and lean into him. "I'll take care of you and the baby. No matter what."

I turn around in his arms and kiss him, passionately. We embrace on my porch and he continues holding me. He rests a hand on my tummy and I press my hands on it.

"So is it a boy or a girl? Can you feel it moving and does it hurt? When will it be born?" He asks many questions and I giggle at how innocent he is in this department.

"Slow down. I don't know the gender because the baby isn't ready yet. It's only the size of a berry and I won't feel it move for a while. For its birthdate, I'm not sure." He continues pressing his hand to my belly and I feel butterflies fill it. I smile wide and he looks at me confused.

"I'm really happy now that I told you." I admit.

"I'm happy too. I'm gunna be a dad… wow…" Luke leans against the doorframe and presses his hand to his head. "Wow, I never thought I'd be saying that so early…" He closes his eyes and I offer him a seat on the couch to take it all in.

He sits beside me and I snuggle against him, allowing him to rest his hand on my belly again, so intrigued with our newfound news and curious questions continue flowing from his mouth.


	19. A Happy Life

Chapter 19

"The summer is going to be ending this week! We have to hang at the beach!" Kathy tosses her bathing suits onto her bed and holds up a few while gazing into the mirror.

"Least you don't have a belly to hide." I pout and pull down my shirt. A few weeks have passed and my tummy's gotten a bit bigger. I'm a bit embarrassed by it. I still haven't told my folks and Luke's still waiting to talk to his father. It just looks like I've gained a few pounds, but you can't really tell it's because of a baby.

"Vi! You should be excited and proud. I would be if I were you." She continues tossing around clothes and bikinis around the room.

"Least the morning sickness isn't as bad now."

"Eventually you'll have to tell your parents. It won't be long before it's super noticeable."

I sigh and agree. "Well, I just need to think about what to say." I adjust myself and get comfortable. "It's so hot in here."

"I think it's the hormones."

"Ugh." I lay down and bury my face in Kathy's pillow.

"Stay the night and we'll go to the beach tomorrow. I already invited the guys."

"Thanks." I mumble into the pillow and close my eyes. I need a nap.

I end up sleeping until the next morning and Kathy eagerly wakes me up and I unhappily get out of bed. I've been so tired lately and sleep most of the time. She tosses me a bikini and I lazily put it on. I borrow a dress from her and we head to the beach. Apparently everyone wanted to spend the last few days of summer at the beach. We set up an umbrella and rest our beach towels underneath. The guys arrive 10 minutes after we do and Luke scoops me up for a kiss. "How's my girl?" He rubs his nose against mine and I giggle. "Tired but happy."

He sets me down and grabs my hand and pulls me away from Kathy and Owen. "I have to tell you something." He whispers.

"What?"

"I told Owen. About us." He glances towards Owen who's happily chatting away with Kathy.

"You told him I'm pregnant?" I say in a rather loud whisper.

"Kathy knew about it and she's your best friend. I felt I should talk to mine about it too." He shrugs and places his hands in his pockets.

I sigh but he has a point. "What did he say?"

"He said he'd help if we ever needed it and he wants to help me build stuff for the baby."

"I guess that's good. We still need to talk to our parents."

Luke runs a hand through his hair and unhappily agrees. "I don't look forward to how my father will react."

Silence sits in the air between us for a while and I can't stand it. "Let's forget about it for now and have fun today." I grab his arm and lead him back towards the others.

"You guys are just in time, we're gunna eat some watermelon!" Kathy pulls out a container from her bag and opens it. The watermelon glistens in the sunlight and we all grab a slice. The rich sugary taste dances in my mouth and I sigh really loud in happiness. Everyone looks at me and I laugh nervously, "It's really delicious."

"There's plenty more," Kathy says. She and Owen begin pulling out some beach toys and start blowing some up. I eat about 8 slices of watermelon before Luke suggests we do something else, "If you eat anymore you might give birth to a watermelon."

We walk along the beach and Luke stretches and takes off his shirt and tosses it onto the sand. His body shines in the sunlight and his sweat sparkles as bright as the ocean. I've seen every inch of his body but I never grow tired of the sight.

"You gunna swim?" He points at my dress and I feel a bit embarrassed.

"I want to, but I don't want people to notice." I hug my arms around my waist and Luke steps closer. "If I looked at you I wouldn't have guessed you were knocked up. You don't look pregnant at all." I know he's saying these words to comfort me and I feel slightly better about taking off the dress.

I slowly take it off and toss it next to his shirt. I look down at my tummy and it's pudgier than usual but it just looks like I gained a few pounds. Nothing serious. "Come on." Luke tugs at me and pulls me into the ocean. We run around and splash each other and Kathy and Owen join us and throw beach balls in our direction. We play in the water for a few hours and Luke and Owen leave to get us some drinks from the store. Kathy and I rest on our towels and I put on some sunscreen. I feel myself already burning.

"Wow, someone didn't listen to me." A shadow covers me and I look up to see Luna's dark face along with Gill's.

"Can we help you?" Kathy snickers and I'm glad she's on my side.

"Gee, Lovissa, did you gain weight? I heard the Inn is having a special on salads." She raises her hand to her face and laugh. Gill chuckles and wraps his arm around her waist.

I feel my face burning and I have no idea why I feel like crying. I guess my emotions are unstable at this point. Kathy clenches her fists and I can tell she wants to tell Luna what's up but thinks otherwise.

"Got nothing to say, Fatty?" Gill chuckles and Luna joins him.

"Hey babe, how's the baby?" Luke sits down beside me and rubs my tummy. Luna and Gill shut up and look down at us shocked. I look towards Luke and he winks at me. He mouths "go with it" and I smile.

"It's fine." I hold his hand as he continues rubbing.

"Oh my Goddes." Luna says and her face is bright red.

"Congrats." Gill mumbles and shifts awkwardly.

"Yeah, we found out a few weeks ago. Super stoked." Luke smiles wide and gives Gill a thumbs up.

"I'm sorry, Lovissa." Luna hangs her head and starts walking away. Gill follows her and looks back at us, almost as if he can't believe what he's just heard.

"Sorry I blurted out our secret." Luke removes his hand and leans back.

"She was getting on my last nerve. I almost blurted out 'She's pregnant you bitch.'" Kathy leans back on her towel, propped up on her elbows.

"Well, I think she won't be bothering me anymore." I say relieved.

"I hope not." Luke kisses my cheek and I fling myself towards him. "Woah, what's got you so hyped up?" He laughs and wraps his arms around me.

"Let's get out of here." I whisper and smile seductively at Luke.

He looks at me wide eyed but nods. "Hey, we're gunna split."

I grab my towel and wrap it around myself and Luke grabs my hand and Kathy waves goodbye as we leave the beach.

"Seriously, though, what's gotten into you?" Luke pokes me and I lean my head against his.

"I just really love you." I smile and place his hand on my belly. "I'm also really happy."

"Hmm," Luke stops walking and pulls me closer to him. "Me too." He kisses my forehead. We head towards my house soon afterwards and I can't help myself. I remove my bikini and stand bare naked in front of Luke as he sits shirtless on the bed.

"You're so beautiful, Vissa." Luke holds my wrists and presses his head to my tummy. He kisses all over and it tickles. His face is partly shaven and some blue stub is poking from his chin. "That tickles," I giggle.

"Oh really?" He rubs his chin more and I push him down to stop him. I roll off of him and lay my head on his chest. "A year ago, I never would have pictured my life to be the way it is now." He rubs his hand up and down my arm, my naked body is covered in goosebumps.

"Me neither. So much has happened. I end up in dating my best friend, carrying his child, and being comfortable naked in front of him."

"It was best choice I ever made." Luke sits up and holds my chin in his hands. "Let's get married." His golden eyes make my heart melt and I throw my arms over his shoulders and kiss him just after squealing "Yes!"


	20. In This Together

Chapter 20

"How could you be so stupid, Luke!" Dale slams his fist against the table and Luke slightly jumps.

"But we're going to get married and I plan to take full responsibility and take care of the baby!" Luke rises from his chair and argues with his father. "She's almost 2 seasons along and it won't be long before the baby arrives."

"I agree with Dale on this one. What you two have done is irresponsible. You expect to get by chopping wood your whole life Luke?" My father's arms are crossed over his chest and my mother holds a tissue to her face. I hate seeing my mother cry but I was hoping she'd be happy for us.

"Vissa, how could you be so careless." My mother mumbles before pulling out another tissue.

"Am I the only one who's excited about this?" Renee stands in the doorway to the living room of Dale's house. Luke and I planned on having a family meeting to tell them about our 'surprise' as well as our engagement.

"Renee, sweetie, I know you're worried for your sister, but can you leave this to us adults?" My mother stands up and softly touches my sister's shoulders. Renee frowns and looks towards us. I give her a small smile and she turns reluctantly and heads upstairs.

Luke is still standing next to me, his knuckles white as his fingers curl into a fist pressed against the table. I can tell he's annoyed as he tries to reassure our parent's that we're well aware of the responsibility. "I've already gotten Owen to help me build the baby room as well as furniture. We're taking this seriously."

"And where do you plan to get all the supplies to make this room? I'm not giving them out to you for free just because you're my son." Dale pinches the end of his mustache and lets out a low grunt.

"That hardly seems fair." I argue. "Luke can gather the wood on his own, but you could at least help out a little. For goddess's sake, it's your grandchild, not some evil creature from hell." I blurt out. Dale stares at me wide eyed and my father looks stunned.

"She has a point," Luke presses his hand on my shoulder and squeezes it softly. I reach up and press mine against him, hinting I'm on his side.

"That's true but you can't rely on us to help you every step of the way." My father sits down and Dale paces around the room a bit, occasionally running his hand through his hair.

"I'm happy and shocked. I knew I'd be a grandma soon, but not this soon!" My mother's bun is slowly falling apart, loose strands hang to the side of her face and she brushes them away with her hands.

"Luke, may I talk to you privately," Dale points towards the front door and Luke unhappily leaves the room, closing the door rather loudly.

"Vissa, I'm disappointed in your choice. We know you two love each other, but a baby? Vissa we though we raised you better than that!" My father slams his hands on the table and I feel tears escape. I can't control all the anger that's building up inside of me.

"I knew you'd say things like this, but deep down, I was hoping you'd be a little more supportive. It's your grandchild. Don't you care about that all? I know it's earlier than you wanted, but I love Luke and he loves me. Of course it was bound to happen sooner or later!" I wave my hands frantically in the air, showing off my frustration.

"Lovissa, calm down sweetie. Being upset and angry isn't healthy or helping you." My mother gives my father a stern look and he lets out an unhappy groan.

Outside a loud bang makes all of us jump. Dale is furious and you can hear him yelling from outside. Luke is arguing back and you can tell he's not exactly happy either. The two continue to quarrel as my mother and father exchange silent glances. I'm not sure what they're talking about but I know they think it's time to settle down and try to take things a bit more calmly.

"I'm sorry if this isn't your plan for me, but it's too late now. This baby will be here soon and there's nothing we can do about it. You can either help us or not." I wipe the tears from my cheeks, the anger slowly fading away.

My father sighs and squeezes his eyes with his hands. "I'm just upset a bit. You are my daughter, so I have no choice in this. I will help to an extent."

"I guess that's better than nothing," I say ungreatfully.

Luke walks back into the house, his face emotionless, and Dale follows, his face relatively the same. They both sit down in the chair and my father whispers to Dale. He sighs but nods his head.

I lean towards Luke and ask if he's okay. He just shrugs and his golden eyes shine. I can tell he isn't fully happy with his father but something he said got through to him.

My mother opens her mouth, surprising us, and breaking the silence. "I don't mind giving you advice as you progress, seeing as how far along you've made it on your own right now." My mother smiles and I feel relieved to see a happy face for once in this room.

"I appreciate it, Mom. I've been studying a bit from a book Irene gave me after I found out."

"Do you know the gender?" My father asks, a little more relaxed.

"We find out tomorrow, but I think it's a boy. It moves too much to be a girl." I roll my eyes and chuckle a bit.

"Luke was like that too," Dale glances at his son and Luke blushes a bit, "definitely my grandson." He lets out a low laugh.

Luke's shoulders are looking less tense and I can tell the room has lost its hostility, for now at least.

"I guess I'll help build during some of my free time," Dale places his hands on the table and it looks as if it takes all he has to give a reassuring smile.

"Thanks, Pops. We really, really appreciate all the help we can get. We know this won't be easy, but we're ready," says Luke. I feel my tummy wiggle a bit and I smile, "He's happy as well," I press my hand to my tummy and my mother eagerly follows suit.

"He is a pretty strong kicker," she laughs and jokingly pretends her hands hurt.

"Try dealing with it every day for hours straight," I mumble and she laughs.

"When you were a baby you always moved around, Renee was the calmer of you two. Hardly ever moved around or kicked."

"Explains why Vissa always has energy," Luke teases and I playfully tap him.

"That type of energy seems to have gotten you in this mess," my father says bluntly and I blush immensely. My mother laughs but seems to have accepted everything.

"I gotta go meet Owen and start making plans for the room. I'd love any tips of you got any," he looks at this dad when he says this.

"I'll swing by later and see what I can do," Dale says.

Luke helps me to my feet and walks us to the door, our parents left behind to discuss their opinions on the situation. Luke stops midwalk and turns around abruptly.

"I promise I'll be the best father for your daughter's son. I will take care of this family no matter what. I won't disappoint you."

All of us stare at him in shock. He wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me outside. After he closes the door he leans against it and sighs, his hand wiping his forehead. "That went extremely well."

I can sense the sarcasm in his voice but I pull him as close to me as possible and kiss him deeply. "Where did that come from?" He chuckles and his golden eyes watch me.

"I'm so glad we got this over. If you weren't there I would have been terrified! Your final statement surprised me. I never thought you would say something like that. I love you." I squeeze my arms around him and he does the same.

"I'm going to be the father of the most beautiful girl in the world's baby. I meant every word. I love you, Vissa. Nothing will ever change that. We'll get through this together. I promised you." He kisses my forehead and I hold his hands against my belly.

"All three of us," I say happily.

"The three of us; a family."


	21. A Gift

Chapter 21

It's mid fall and any day now our baby boy will be born. Luke's almost done with the room. We have all the necessities completed first: Crib, roof, walls, etc. All we need to add is some paint and curtains and we're all set. Luke and Owen have been hard at work the past few weeks and Kathy comes by often as well and helps out with me and the boys.

It's morning and Luke kisses me awake causing me to grumble and sit up, rubbing my eyes. "Morning beautiful. I thought I'd wake you up before I left for work." He kisses me again and I lean my head against his. "I'm so tired. I want this baby out now," I grumble.

"He'll be here soon just be patient. Owen and Kathy should be here soon to finish the room while I'm gone. If you need me call my cell okay?" Luke points at his phone on the counter before kissing my forehead. A soft knock gets him off the bed and he opens it revealing Owen and Kathy. The guys start talking about the room and Kathy walks over to me.

"You look ready to pop at any second," She laughs.

"Is it that obvious?" I get off the bed and pour myself a glass of water.

"I gotta go. See you guys later!" Luke bursts out the door. Owen calls Kathy over and the two of them begin prepping for the day ahead of them.

Hour's pass by and Kathy walks out of the room with paint smeared over her face. She sits down on the couch and stretches. "I'm so exhausted, but the room is now finished!" She smiles and sighs in relief. Owen joins her, rubbing a wet cloth over his hands.

"You guys want any lemonade? We should have a bit left in the fridge," I offer.

"I'd love some! I'm so thirsty!" Kathy whines.

"I'll be right back then." I head into the kitchen and grab a few glasses from the cupboard. Pain starts to shoot through my abdomen and I drop the glass on the floor. I lean against the counter, my hand gripping my sweatshirt. Kathy and Owen rush into the room and both look worried.

"Are you okay, Vi?" She's next to me in seconds and grabs my arm.

"Kathy, call Luke! It's time!" I practically say through my teeth. The pain escalates and I can't keep myself from groaning.

"I'll call the hospital and let them know we're on our way. Owen you get a hold of Luke." Kathy glances around awkwardly. She runs over toward our bed and grabs an empty rucksack and fills it with random clothes from our closet. Owen is busy on the cell phone and I wait for him to contact Luke. All of us stand silently as a phone starts to vibrate on a nearby counter.

"Crap, he left his phone!" Owen curses and Kathy grabs my arm. "We have to go, we'll get him there. Don't worry. Let's hurry." Kathy grabs my arm and pulls me to the door. Owen grabs the bag and follows us. On the way there we occasionally stop as I hunch over in pain, tugging on my belly.

"We won't make it there this way. Owen you'll have to carry her." Kathy commands and Owen doesn't argue. He lifts me up and we make our way farther down the road into town. People watch us as I make horrible noises as we near the hospital.

"Make a room, Irene!" Kathy barges in the doorway and Irene looks startled. "You got here faster than I expected. This way, please," She ushers us into a back room and Owen sets me down on the bed. "I'll call the Carpentry. You stay here with Vissa." Owen hurries out the door and Kathy grabs my hand.

"We'll need you to change into this," Irene holds out a hospital gown and Kathy helps me change. I lay down on the bed and Jin enters the room. Irene hands him a clipboard with pieces of paper and he looks over them. He asks her to prepare a few things for the delivery while grabbing a pair of gloves.

Owen is still absent from the room and Kathy tries soothing me as I grumble as the pain increases.

Luke's POV~~~~

"It's so hot today," I grumble. Sweat rolls off my face and I wipe it away with my arms.

"Quit whining and get working. You want to support your family, you work." My pops is looking over some layouts of a new barn we're working on for Vissa's parents. I'm already stripped down to my jeans but it doesn't stop the sun beating down on my back.

I continue hammering in some boards. "Dammit," I curse as my thumb gets smashed by the hammer.

"I k now you're distracted, but please pay attention," Bo says this time. My father is talking with Cain, luckily not paying any attention to me.

I grab another board but stopped suddenly as my name is called out. I turn to see Renee sprinting up the hill towards me. "Luke! It's Lovissa!" She's panting and I drop my board and run over to her.

"What's wrong?" I grab her shoulders and she catchers her breathe.

"She's at the hospital. You need to get there now!"

I don't bother saying anything else. I make a run for the town.

Lovissa's POV~~~

Kathy holds my hand as I squeeze as the contractions increase. Jin argues with me to start pushing but I refuse without Luke being present. Kathy wastes her effort trying to convince me to as well but I ignore her.

Owen barges through the door accompanied by someone. "Luke!" I smile quickly before groaning loudly.

"It's okay. I'm here now," he rubs my hair and kisses my forehead.

"Are you ready to deliver this baby yet or does someone else need to be present?" Jin says impatiently while snapping his gloves over his wrist.

Luke looks at me and Kathy tells him about my behavior. Jin advices me to adjust myself and Irene assists him while I begin pushing. Luke holds my hand and Kathy massages hers. I hear the sound of a baby crying and I relax on the bed.

"Looks like a healthy baby boy. Congratulations." Irene wipes the baby with a soft towel before handing him over to me. I look down at my son and his golden eyes look up with curiosity.

"He's beautiful," I coo and hold my finger near his hand. "Looks just like you," I say towards Luke. He stands smiling next to me, holding out his hand. I pass the baby to him and he sits at the edge of my bed, cuddling his newly born son.

"We make handsome babies," he jokes. "Hey, little guy. Daddy's here." He cradles the baby, rocking him in his arms.


End file.
